Heart Jewelry Choices, Heart Jewellery Allure

14k White Gold Diamond Heart Ring (1/10 cttw, H-I Color, I2 Clarity), Size 7

Have you ever been stuck for a unique gift idea for those special days such as an anniversary, birthday, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day for the special woman in your life?  So why not give her a beautiful piece of  heart jewelry?  Because heart jewelry is so versatile, it can be worn everyday for any situation, whether that is popping to the grocery store, going to work, attending a swanky party or meeting friends for lunch, so it makes the ideal present.

On your next wedding anniversary a heart pendant necklace would make a perfect gift for your wife.  Gold and sterling silver are both fine choices.  Not only will it show her how much she still means to you but she will be able to wear it every day and it will remind her of the special relationship you two share.  If you get it engraved with a special message personal to you both, that will be  a demonstration to her of all the time and thought you have put into choosing a special gift for her – and, although you don’t perhaps tell her as often as she would like, how much you love her.  Every time she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror or touches her neck it will bring a smile to her face as she thinks of you and remembers special times you have shared and continue to share.

There are many occasions on which to give a piece of heart jewelry to your daughter and a delicate heart bracelet would be appropriate for any of them.  The first one that springs to mind is her birth and a heart bracelet with her date of birth and her birthstone on it is something she can treasure forever.  Or how about a silver charm bracelet for her “sweet sixteen” birthday?  When she is all dressed up to go to her prom a gold heart bracelet to complement the gorgeous dress she is wearing will make her truly feel like a princess.  Or giving her a heart bracelet on her graduation day will show her how proud you are of her achievements.

Valentine’s Day is traditionally the time that lovers want to express their feelings for their significant other, obviously with a gift that symbolizes love – whether that is red roses, heart shaped candy or perhaps a cute soft toy.  Giving your loved one an open heart ring would convey in a very clear way exactly how much you love her.  For the guy who wants to let his girlfriend know he is committed to her but not yet ready to get engaged, a heart shaped ring given as a promise ring would leave her in no doubt of his fidelity.

On Mother’s Day we all sometimes struggle to think of that special something for the best Mom in the world.  If you ask her what she wants she will frequently say that there is nothing she needs so, often, we search the stores for a sweater or top or purse that we think she might like.  Getting her a piece of heart jewelry will surely put a smile on her face and show her just how much you love her.  A silver heart locket engraved with a special message and containing a family photograph is something she will not only treasure forever but will proudly show off to her friends.

For birthdays and Christmas you can’t go wrong if you choose to give heart jewelry, especially for a close friend.  There are lots of different pieces in the stores but a pair of silver heart earrings will show your feelings for her as a friend and you can be sure they will complement the other jewelry in her collection.  Whether she prefers stud earrings, hoops or dangly styles there are lots of designs to choose from.

So no matter what the occasion or the age of the recipient, if you choose a piece of heart jewelry it will show your wife, daughter, girlfriend, Mom or close friend how much they mean to you.

In a recent post I wrote about the increasing trend for celebrity men to have both their ears pierced and to wear diamond stud earrings. Recently I saw Jerry Rice on the TV, when his shirt was being retired, and he was wearing a pair of fairly large hoop earrings and once again my views on men wearing earrings were brought to the fore.  I have already said that maybe my views were perhaps outdated and not shared by the younger generation and even people of my own age, so I decided to find out if this really was the case by asking my friends, family and their children what they thought about men wearing jewelry, earrings in particular.  In particular, could they ever see a time when men would choose to wear heart jewelry? The ages of those I asked ranged from early teens to middle age and of both sexes.

The responses I got from the teenagers really surprised me as I thought maybe it was a generational thing and that I was no longer up with current trends and fashions. My friend’s thirteen year old daughter, the youngest of the group and very into fashion and modern trends, wrinkled her nose and said that she thought earrings on men were weird and she didn’t like them.  She suggested that some men’s jewelry was acceptable (a gold chain, an identity bracelet, a wedding ring and watch maybe) but nothing flashy or vulgar and certainly not any heart jewelry.

Another friend’s fifteen year old son said that “jewelry doesn’t look very good on men”. The only piece that he thinks is acceptable for a man is a watch and he believes that earrings look stupid, especially the silver heart earrings that he has seen!

An older teenage girl was more accepting of men wearing some form of jewelry but she said that it would have to be very subtle and it would depend on the man wearing it.  Although not totally against men having pierced ears, she was not keen on the idea of having both ears done or the wearing of diamond studs.  She laughed at the idea of men sporting a heart necklace or heart earrings but was more accepting of a pair of heart cuff links such as the open heart design because they are not overtly heart shaped.

Moving on to the next age group, twenty to thirty year olds, their answers were very similar to those of the teens. One of the guys said that lots of men look ridiculous in jewelry of any kind although he did go on to say that some guys do look okay with two ears pierced.  He went on to say that men’s jewelry pieces should be simple such as a wedding band, a simple chain or cuff links.  On the subject of heart jewelry his comments were “I’ve never seen heart jewelry on a man or for a man and I don’t see it becoming fashionable or being something that men would wear”.

Yet another of the guys was not a fan of men’s jewelry apart from wedding ring, maybe a pinky ring and cuff links.  He too could not imagine heart shaped jewelry becoming fashionable for guys especially not heart earrings.  The only piece of heart jewelry he could ever see himself wearing would be a pair of cuff links if somebody bought them for him.

The ladies in this age group were equally not keen to see men wearing earrings. As one of them put it: “Men shouldn’t wear earrings not even celebrities. No guy looks goods in these”. They also agreed that if men were to wear jewelry it needed to be minimal and understated not big and chunky perhaps a simple ring or a thread bracelet.  And in their view “there should be no hearts whatsoever on men’s jewelry”.

One of my good friends who is very into the latest fashion trends surprised me when she said that she hated men with pierced ears especially if both of them were pierced this – the word she used to describe it was “chavvy”.  She was also not keen on jewelry for men generally and certainly not heart jewelry which would be far too effeminate.

Two other friends (married to each other but asked at different times) shared similar opinions on the idea of men wearing jewelry.  Both were very much against the idea of guys having their ears pierced and while the wife said that it was okay for men to wear a wedding ring or watch her husband said that any sort of jewelry on a man was “girlie”.  One thing they both agreed on was that heart jewelry was feminine and definitely not for men.

Lastly I asked my husband and his best friend their thoughts on the subject of men’s jewelry and whether they would ever wear heart jewelry.  My husband’s reaction to the idea of heart jewelry for men was that it would be a contradiction as these designs are feminine and seen as “soppy” rather than macho and masculine.  When it comes to other jewelry items for men he is very much a traditionalist and is okay with signet rings, wedding rings, watches and cuff links but thinks that chains, earrings and bracelets are worn by men to show off.  In his words “fine if they want to wear them but I think they look silly”.

His friend had similar things to say about the wearing of jewelry by men suggesting that it was “used as a status symbol and as a way to attract women”.  The wearing of a gold medallion by a man, he implied, is a peacock type thing displaying his finery to attract the opposite sex.  Unlike most of the other men he thought that there was certainly one piece of heart jewelry that should be available for men to wear, a cheating heart pendant for guys who are unfaithful to their partners!

So, if my friends’ views are anything to go by it doesn’t look like heart jewelry and in particular silver heart earrings will become a fashion accessory for men any time soon.  However, if you had asked me a few years ago if guys would be wearing diamond studs in both of their ears I would have said I don’t think so.  Shows how much I know doesn’t it?

When you you reach a certain age, like I have (let’s say middle age and maybe even a little more, for the purposes of these notes), you realize that you have some pretty entrenched views: for example, ladies are the gentler and fairer sex and have an affinity with jewelry such as heart earrings and diamond necklaces, while men are rougher and often less refined and regard the wearing of jewelry as somewhat effeminate.  But you also realize that other younger people, and maybe the fringe element of people your own age, have some very different views and these can take you by surprise.

Which brings me on to the question I want to pose: have you noticed the increasing trend of men, especially celebrities and NFL and basketball players, having both ears pierced and wearing matching diamond stud earrings?  Is this the start of a trend that will spread?  Maybe history can give us a clue – because while the idea of pierced ears for both men and women goes back centuries, there was a time when the practice for men went out of style.  With it’s resurgence, and the fact that men are now wearing a style that one would usually think of as more for women, does it follow that they too will begin to choose other more traditionally feminine designs such as a heart earring?

As far back as early civilization both men and women have been adorning themselves with jewelry including earrings.  The ancient Egyptians were very accomplished jewelry makers and not only was the wearing of it a sign of wealth and status, it was important in ensuring a safe and trouble free journey to the afterlife.  When the tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt were discovered, such as that of Tutankhamen, the range of different pieces of jewelry found was quite staggering – there were bracelets, amulets, rings, necklaces, earrings, head bands, belts, anklets (and gold vests which were unique to the Egyptian culture).

In Old Testament biblical times there is a reference to the wearing of earrings by both of the sexes in Exodus chapter 32 verses 1-4.  When the Israelites were in the wilderness and they were waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain they asked Aaron to make them an image of a god that they could follow.  Aaron agreed to this and told them to bring him the gold earrings which were worn by the wives, sons and daughters.

Wearing earrings remained fashionable for both men and women until the Early Middle Ages but then the trend died out for a while.  During the 1900s, sailors made the wearing of earrings by men popular again.  One reason for the return of this trend was they believed that if they were lost at sea, when their body washed ashore, whoever found it would take the earring and use it to pay for a proper burial for them.   Having a pierced ear also signified that the sailor had crossed the equator or sailed round the world.

The modern trend of men having their ears pierced goes back to the hippie culture of the 1960s and 1970s.  Lets be honest, this was a time of breaking away from conventionality and the perceived stuffiness of the older generation (my father was in the Royal Air Force, and my father in law was in the Royal Marines during World War Two and I somehow cannot imagine them wearing an earring!).  During this time there was a debate as to which ear a man should have pierced depending on his sexual orientation; gay men should have their right ear done while heterosexual guys should choose the left.  Nowadays, this no longer applies as having both ears pierced is becoming increasingly the norm and even if only one ear is pierced (whether left or right) it is does not signify a man’s sexual preferences.

Now that some men are becoming “metrosexual”, taking more pride in their looks and wardrobe, using products such as moisturizers and make up (things I know my parents would have thought “unmanly”) maybe jewelry designs for men will change as well.  In an earlier post I suggested that men are still not seen wearing a heart chain, but maybe if one of the professional athletes or a male celebrities started wearing some heart jewelry then maybe we would see a heart earring, or heart chain selection in the men’s jewelry section in stores.  So look our for heart bracelets, heart necklaces and heart charms to populate the men’s jewelry section and join up with the heart earring offerings as well.