'Regular' guys are discovering the intrigue of jewelry

Fashion-forward men are contributing to the boom.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Diamonds are not just a girl's best friend, as king of bling Sean "P. Diddy" Combs likes to say.
He's right. Men are in the throes of a love affair with jewelry. And this is one male liberation that can't be pinned on the "Queer Eye" guys. Blame it on Kevin Garnett, whose favorite diamond earrings (he has more than one pair) are hefty enough to make J. Lo drool. Or how about Prince? Ever the innovator, he has been sporting an ear cuff adorned with sparklers that you can bet are not cubic zirconia.
In the entertainment world, there's nothing unmanly about glamming it up. "Players like everything as flashy as possible," says Helain Pesis, owner of Continental Diamond in St. Louis Park, where Garnett and many other professional athletes buy their bling.
The manly angle
Now, 9-to-5 guys also are discovering the allure of precious stones and metals.
"They are definitely a growing sector of the market," says Helena Krodel, spokeswoman for the Jewelry Information Center. So much so that Continental Diamond is printing its first-ever Father's Day advertisement targeting male customers.
"Men are buying themselves rings, bracelets, pendants, just because they like the looks of it," Pesis says. "It's fun to have men going for something other than wedding rings."
That doesn't mean jeweled pinky rings will be a hot seller for dads. While athletes and entertainers feel the need to wear their wealth on their fingers and ears, the average guy is taking a more understated approach to jewelry. It starts with a signature watch, like a Rolex or trendy Ebel. Since Oprah added the chunky Philip Stein Teslar watch to her list of "favorite things," men have been as wild for the piece as women, Pesis says. Even some noncelebrity males are opting for a souped-up, diamond-encrusted model, which sells for around $2,000.
"A good watch is like buying a first new car," says Scott Suchy, a sales associate for Bockstruck Jewelers in St. Paul. "They like the way it looks and want more."
Something trendy
The next step is usually a bracelet -- something rugged, like stainless steel. Also, rubber jewelry, mixed with gold or even diamonds, is trendy. Titanium is the hot new metal. It's lightweight and much cheaper than platinum, and manufacturers are pushing it for the male market.
Fashion-forward men are also buying necklaces, often to hang a meaningful medallion. Cuff links, a more traditional option, are enjoying a revival as more offices return to a professional dress code.
"Our staff has definitely seen an upswing in traditional men's jewelry," says Glen Sorenson, marketing director for R.F. Moeller Jeweler, with stores in St. Paul, Minneapolis and Edina, Minn. "But I haven't seen business professionals saying they'd like to get a diamond stud."
An MVP title and a fat NBA contract would probably change that.