Sotheby’s Gets In On The Ever Evolving Shift In Men’s Jewelry

Ever since the man brooch became a hashtag on Instagram and the key accessory for male celebrities at red carpet events, men’s jewelry has become part of the personalization spotlight. Add to this gender-neutral fashion and accessories, the creativity of independent and renowned designs and the upswing in antique and vintage jewelry, which has begun to influence men to wear more than just a watch, wedding band, and a bracelet now and then. Sotheby’s resident style guru and Vice Chairman of Jewelry, Frank Everett, recognized this and has curated an exhibition sale entitled “For the Boys: A Jewelry Exhibition,” which opens to the public on September 23rd and runs through October 5th, 2023.

Everett has previously overseen milestone auctions at Sotheby’s, including “The Collection of Mrs. Paul ‘Bunny’ Mellon” and“The Personal Collection of Shaun Leane.” He partnered with Carol Woolton, jewelry editor at British Vogue, in 2019 to create the selling exhibition of floral jewels “In Bloom” and more recently co-curated with Melanie Grant, the groundbreaking selling exhibition Brilliant & Black, which was the first showcase dedicated to black jewelry designers.

But back to “For The Boys: A Jewelry Exhibtion’” is dedicated to the evolution of men’s jewelry from the mid-19th century to the present day. Comprising approximately 100 pieces, it will showcase antique and vintage designs from the renowned houses of Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Tiffany & Co, Verdura, and David Webb, to name just a few and modern and contemporary pieces from the iconic styles Chrome Hearts, David Yurman and Shaun Leane.

Everett explains, “Since the dawn of time, men have always donned jewelry. However, this renaissance has gained traction as of late thanks to the pursuits of celebrities such as Harry Styles, Lewis Hamilton, Pharrell and others, who helped push the modernization of men’s jewelry and the embracing of styles and materials that have often been thought of as for women only – those with precious and semi-precious gemstones and generally evoke more personality. The purpose of this show is not to genderize jewelry – since I’m a true believer that jewelry should be and can be worn by everyone – but rather a celebration of self-expression and the ever-changing men’s style evolution from past to present. With this exhibition we hope to not only educate and introduce jewelry to a new male audience, but to dismantle the pre-existing boundaries, and also cater to an audience that knowingly wants to freely express their individuality through the power of jewelry.”