Titan (with pearls) Bracelet by REZA, featuring 6 natural pearls, cabochon sugar loaf emeralds and brilliant-cut diamonds, set on rough blackened white gold. POA.

www.alexandrereza.com

It seems that an increasing number of jewellers are including a few men’s pieces in their high jewellery collections. Interestingly, this coincides with more red carpet appearances of men wearing bold high jewels. Pharrell Williams for one is the leader of the pack when it comes to accessorising his looks, and last month’s Met Gala saw Christian Louboutin wearing a dazzling rock crystal pendant necklace from Indian jeweller Hanut Singh. Of course this is nothing new since there was a time when high-ranking officials would overt-ly wear bejewelled apparel (think of maharajas) that was ordered from the best designers. Ever since, but not with the same exposure, wealthy men have com-missioned high jewellery houses to create one-of-a-kind creations for them to wear. It seems that these confidential requests from men have now become a niche market that is more openly addressed by some high jewellers who simply use their expertise to create men’s high jewellery renditions as by-products of their more recognised women’s high jewellery. Cufflinks are par excellence the go-to items on which to build a high jewellery range for messieurs. Although set with the most precious metals and gemstones, high jewellery cufflinks have the advantage of being more inconspic-uous when worn than say rings or necklaces. That said, the increasing mix of high and lowbrow materials in high jewellery for women has also helped open doors for creations for men, as the combination of the two is less ostentatious by nature whilst some low brow com-ponents can masculinise a piece. And so, enter pen-dant necklaces composed of rare gemstones hanging from a simple cord, or chevalière rings with exception-al stones set in ebony or matt materials. Messieurs, the high jewellery world may well become your oyster.

Met Gala 2018, actress Blake Lively and shoe designer Christian Louboutin posing for a last selfie before braving the red carpet. Louboutin is wearing a Mandala prayer neckpiece made of rock crystal beads, onyx, carved melon crystals and enamel, by Hanut Singh.

www.hanutsingh.com

For the past six years, Dolce&Gabbana have been precursors and pioneers of the trend by systematically presenting high jewellery for both women (donna) and men (uomo) at each of their Alta Gioielleria events. In the same manner as the haute couture Alta Moda and Alta Sartoria collections, which cater for both sexes, Alta Gioielleria collections are twofold: flam-boyant jewels for women, and regal tie and lapel pins, brooch-es and rings for men. Right there, we have “equality”. The Dolce&Gabbana male customer revels in the flamboyance and theatricality of the house’s sartorial offerings and so natural-ly Dolce&Gabbana high jewellery for men is fit for kings (e.g. brooches in the style of royal or papal medals), as much as Dolce&Gabbana high jewellery for women is fit for queens.

Stickpin Brooch in 18K white and yellow gold with emeralds, brown, black and colourless diamonds; Dolce&Gabbana Alta Gioielleria. POA.

Lion Ring in 18K white and yellow gold with one 10.55-carat oval-shaped cabochon-cut green nephrite; Dolce&Gabbana Alta Gioielleria. POA.

Enamelled Cross Brooch in 18K white and yellow gold with emerald and diamonds; Dolce&Gabbana Alta Gioielleria. POA.

www.dolcegabbana.com

The degree of playfulness that one can find in the Dolce&Gabbana men’s fine jewellery collections has also been injected into the high jewellery lines (e.g. a diamond-paved dollar sign for a stickpin brooch with emeralds or chevalière rings with a coat of arms from your very own kingdom). Overall it is ostentatious and bold, which should not hide the fact that it is all superb-ly crafted. The entire technical prowess that Dolce&Gabbana high jewellery ateliers are known for when it comes to women’s high jewellery is also ap-plied to the men’s jewels (first and foremost, the exceptional and tradition-al work with gold and enamel). More than asserting Dolce&Gabbana high jewellery male collectors their status and leading position, the high jewel-lery collections for men are enormously freeing. At Dolce&Gabbana, men are indeed led to accessorise without losing their masculinity, and encour-aged to collect their own one-of-a-kind precious heirlooms.

Ring in 18K yellow gold set with one 5.40-carat rectangular cushion-shaped and mixed cut blue sapphire, 4 round-shaped and brilliant-cut rubies (0.50ct), 18 round-shaped and rose-cut diamonds (0.56ct); Dolce&Gabbana Alta Gioielleria. POA.

Enamelled Cross Brooch in 18K yellow gold with rhodolite garnets; Dolce&Gabbana Alta Gioielleria. POA.

Ring in 18K yellow gold set with one 2.15-carat rectangular cushion-shaped and mixed cut fancy blue grey diamond; Dolce&Gabbana Alta Gioielleria. POA.

www.dolcegabbana.com

Under Olivier Reza’s reign at the helm of REZA – the eponymous French inde-pendent private jeweller with a by appointment-only salon on Place Vendome as well as a boutique inside the Ritz Hotel – high jewellery has entered the next cen-tury. Designs are indeed steeped in modernity and born out of technical exper-imentation. This has led to a change in concept: “pretty” renditions lost ground in favour of a stronger sense of femininity; and so naturally it was only a matter of time for more male-driven creations to arrive. In a way, the men’s high jewel-lery pieces at REZA are more unisex than purely masculine, and this is a stroke of genius. The same way that women like to borrow their boyfriend’s or husband’s white shirt, they will try to usurp their partner’s Facettes Ring or Titan Bracelet. They may struggle a bit though, since the men may not easily let go of pieces that have become a second skin.

Facette Ebène Ring set in 18K yellow gold with facetted ebony and featuring an oval cabochon Colombian emerald weighing 17.83 carats. POA.

Cufflinks featuring two oval cabochon Colombian emeralds of 21.27 carats, ebony part carved and decorated with 4 sugar loaf emeralds, set on sand blasted and polished 18K pink gold. POA.

Titan Bracelet featuring 18 spinel beads weighing 10.79 carats and one brilliant-cut diamond, set on blackened 18K white gold. POA.

Titan Bracelet featuring 18 sapphires weighing 11.83 carats and one brilliant-cut diamond, set on brushed 18K pink gold. POA.

www.alexandrereza.com

Carré Ciselé Cufflinks featuring 20 round sapphires, set on 18K white gold. POA.

Carré Ciselé Cufflinks featuring 20 round rubies, set on 18K pink gold. POA.

Carré Ciselé Cufflinks featuring 20 round emeralds, set on 18K white gold. POA.

Carré Ciselé Cufflinks featuring 20 brilliant-cut diamonds, set on 18K white gold. POA.

One of the main principles in building REZA high jewellery for men was to cre-ate specific, recognisable motifs on which to grow the collections. Let’s take the Titan Bracelet, whose unique link (a small bar faceted on all sides and tagged on each end by gemstone beads) appears in multiple versions. For instance, the links come in different types of gold (rough blackened white gold, brushed white gold, brushed pink gold and so on), and the precious beads can be any gem (sapphires, spinels, diamonds etc.) or pearls. Moreover the now iconic links are also used in the design of pendant chains. There is also the signature Carré Ciselé Cufflinks whose unique pattern is a feast of chiselled gold work. These cufflinks come in a myriad of colourways (pink or white gold set with either diamonds, rubies, sap-phires or emeralds, the cardinal precious gemstones). As a result, and apart from any new designs, the existing men’s high jewellery lines can grow, while men may be tempted to get one piece from each collection in every colour.

www.alexandrereza.com

Facette Saphir Ring featuring an unheated oval-shaped cabochon Ceylon sapphire weighing 26.51 carats, set on sand blasted and polished 18K pink gold. POA.

When you are one of the main purveyors of extremely rare gemstones, it doesn’t really matter if you are mainly famous for design-ing exceptional high jewellery for women. Discerning men, who seek only the best, will know they must come to you. Such is the ap-peal of Moussaieff, best known for creating ravishing works of art composed of high car-at coloured gemstones for women, with oc-casional equivalents for men in the form of rings or cufflinks. And what rings and cufflinks! We’re talking about a 5 plus carat fancy vivid internally flawless blue diamond for instance

(ring is featured). Yes, that is correct. In terms of the Holy Grail, this is it; the very top and only at Moussaieff.

Rare gemstones are indeed as much an invest-ment opportunity as an emotional trigger, and therefore they perfectly draw men’s interest. Furthermore, jewels are often described as talismanic, and of course some men want to take advantage of that attribute. So how best to get it all (financial yield, intimate appeal and protection) than by going to Moussaieff, where one will be able to choose from an ex-traordinary gemmological stock?

Important Ring set in platinum with one 5.05-carat fancy vivid, internally flawless cushion-cut blue diamond. POA.

Ring with one 5.03-carat diamond set in 18K white gold. POA.

Cufflinks with 2.75 carats of diamonds set in 18K white gold. POA.

Cufflinks with 7.05 carats of diamonds set in 18K yellow gold. POA.

www.moussaieff-jewellers.com

At Cartier, men’s high jewellery is part of their heritage, which started with a long line of col-laborations with Indian royalties such as the creation of the Patiala necklace in 1928 after the Maharaja of Patiala, Bhupinder Singh, trav-elled to Paris with his crown jewels to have them reset in 1925. Although private com-missions are still prominent, Cartier has been steadily creating a few men’s pieces with each new women’s high jewellery collection. Best in show are the high jewellery cufflinks that borrow from the Cartier codes and em-blems such as the panther and the exposed

screws of the Santos watch. These cufflinks also demonstrate the traditional setting tech-niques of Cartier: the claw setting, the grain or pavé setting, the closed or “massé” setting, and finally the pelt, or pelage, setting, which is specific to the Maison and primarily employed in panther motifs. Cufflinks first appeared in Cartier’s records as far back as 1859, and they were soon set with precious stones, or recast as watches, winding crowns or compasses to be worn on the wrist. Here is a selection of vin-tage and more modern renditions, all bearing the Cartier mantra: “cufflinks as jewellery”.

Panthère de Cartier Cufflinks in rhodium-finish solid 18K white gold paved with brilliant-cut diamonds with a total weight of 2.60 carats, emerald eyes, onyx nose, and onyx half-ball; photography by Vincent De La Faille © Cartier. POA.

Cufflinks (Cartier Paris, 1929) in platinum set with rectangular faceted emeralds, calibrated faceted sapphires. Sold to the King of Yugoslavia who gifted them to King Carol II of Romania. Photography by Nick Welsh ©. POA.

www.cartier.com

High Jewellery Cufflinks in platinum, set with two carved Zambian emeralds with a total weight of 13.43 carats, brilliant-cut diamonds with a total weight of 4.31 carats. Model available in additional varieties of precious stones. Photography by Vincent Wulveryck © Cartier. POA.

High Jewellery Cufflinks in platinum, set with two octagonal Ceylon sapphires with a total weight of 7.20 carats, brilliant-cut diamonds with a total weight of 1.67 carats. Also available in additional varieties of precious stones. Photography by Vincent Wulveryck © Cartier. POA.

Cufflinks (Cartier Paris, 1906) with translucent pink enamel over a radiating guilloché motif, edge in platinum and rose-cut diamonds. Photography by Nick Welsh ©. POA.

www.cartier.com

www.binagoenka.com

Although Bina Goenka’s creations are ultra feminine, it has turned out to be an advantage when conceptualis-ing her jewellery pieces for men. She has kept the same organic aesthetics and most renditions could pass as lit-tle brothers of her other pieces purely made for women. It is this continuity that is the basis for cufflinks and la-pel pins that exude glamour and have all the hallmarks of Bina Goenka’s work, such as micro paving to outline the borders of petals made of rubies – each of the latter with a distinctive, free flowing cut – or to surround natu-ral pearls (a recurring revered component in most of her designs for women). It is not often that you see sensu-al jewellery for men, but Bina Goenka has found the for-mula: borrow from what you have been acclaimed for in women’s jewels.

Cufflinks in 18K gold with natural pearls surrounded by micro-paved diamonds. POA.

Lapel Pin in 18K gold with rubies surrounded by micro-paved diamonds. POA.

www.elianefattal.com

Eliane Fattal is a treasure hunter, or should one say an alchemist who revels in the re-birth of forgotten jewels. It all started with her now long-term collaboration with the London antique dealer, S J Phillips, from whose ar-chives Fattal unearths antique pieces of jew-ellery that she wondrously transforms. In short, Fattal lends a new lease of life to jew-els that otherwise would slowly fade away; and this includes men’s jewellery in the form of updated ravishing cufflinks, some of which originating from the end of the Victorian era. Hence the beetles and scarabs, lizards and

reptiles as favoured motifs. Of the three cuf-flinks presented here, one is a contemporary creation but cleverly in the same manner of an old pair of cufflinks, which have been re-visited. An unusual subject at the time was the tortoise, which symbolises longevity. So it is quite exciting that Fattal has found and worked her magic on one rare example (as seen on this page). In all of them, the tog-gle part is a naturalistic bejewelled branch, in keeping with the habitat of the subjects. Fattal succeeds in merging past and present with exquisite flair.

One-of-a-kind Turtles Cufflinks (circa 1890) in gold set with diamonds, emeralds and demantoid garnets; Metamorphosis Collection. POA.

One-of-a-kind Lizard Cufflinks (2017) in gold set with diamonds and rubies (eyes); Metamorphosis Collection. POA.

www.elianefattal.com

One-of-a-kind Beetles & Bee Cufflinks (circa 1890) in gold set with diamonds, rubies and demantoid garnets; Metamorphosis Collection. POA.

www.elianefattal.com

www.sothebysdiamonds.com

Here is a typical case of when the combination of low and highbrow makes a rendition unisex, or masculine enough that men can covet it. Sotheby’s Diamonds deals with exceptional diamonds as its title says, and although the creations are mainly for women, from time to time, the use of a simple yet elegant cord transforms a precious pendant into something a bit more casual and wearable for everyday, a jewel for cool men to style with an open shirt or under a jacket. Moreover, in the featured piece, the unique colour of the diamond (fancy brown-yellow) helps this aspect more than if it was pink or yellow. The cord is decorated with diamond rondelles so as to confirm that this is no ordinary design. It should also be mentioned that Sotheby’s Diamonds routinely uses steel in their designs and due to steel’s usual industrial appli-cation, it is a material that could make a solitaire ring fit for a guy. As you can see, the frontier be-tween high jewellery for women and high jewel-lery for men is slowly, but only in some instances, blurring.

Diamond Pendant by Sotheby’s Diamonds set in platinum, set with one fancy brown-yellow pear-shaped diamond weighing 10.53 carats in a diamond surround, and suspended from a black cord with diamond rondelles. POA.

Now let’s look at some squarely modern cufflinks courtesy of Italian high jew-eller, Fabio Salini. A proponent of revolutionising the world of jewellery, Salini excels at using carbon fibre in his creations, and under his spell, it is no won-der that the incredibly strong material has found its way into men’s designs in the form of a fascinating array of cufflinks – each tantalisingly more desir-able than the next. The signature shape is almost typological, a gentle curve that ends with a dot (the toggle), just like a semicolon in bold. Then there is the chromatic choice, the simple lines or clever details –a kyanite trapped in a net of pink gold, African masks made of carved stones – each celebrates a type of soft geometry compounded by the contrast between the darkness of carbon fibre and the vivid hues of precious gemstones. They are all beautiful-ly crafted and very distinctive like miniature contemporary sculptures; these are little artworks to adorn your cuffs.

Cufflinks in 18K gold and carbon fibre, one with facemask carved rock crystal (top) and the other with facemask carved onyx (bottom). POA.

Cufflinks in 18K gold and carbon fibre, with moonstones, corals and diamonds. POA.

Cufflinks in 18K gold and carbon fibre, one with diamonds (top) and the other with sapphires (bottom). POA.

www.fabiosalini.it

Cufflinks in 18K red gold with lapis lazuli. POA.

Cufflinks in 18K pink gold, with diamonds, pearls and kyanite. POA.

Cufflinks in 18K gold and carbon fibre, one with mandarin garnet (top) and the other with tourmalines and pink sapphires (bottom). POA.

www.fabiosalini.it

Last but not least, a design, which is not for the faint hearted. A ring to assert your sense of power and show the world how confident you are. This design by James Ganh is a chevalière on steroids. Composed with reference to architecture, it is struc-tured like a New York City building with diamond-paved pediments and convoluted passageways. The tapered baguettes, round brilliant-cut diamonds and white gold fixtures, all point to the mammoth emerald, whose inclusions are resplendent. The white gold structure forms the neo-classic vault in which the gemstone is safely kept. Blue sapphires pave the bottom inner surface of the band while two diamond-shaped sapphires punctuate each side of the bridge; a yellow gold emblem – a stylised lily – poses as a coat of arms on the band. The latter feature re-enforces the regal nature of the design, as if it had been passed down through the generations.

Ring in 18K white and yellow gold set with one ethically sourced 12.97-carat Zambian emerald, blue sapphires and diamonds. POA.

www.jamesganh.com

And to accompany the previous ring, here are two pairs of cufflinks that are using the same architec-tural references - this includes the signature sap-phire on the side - as the ring. The opals simply dazzle inside their diamond-paved nests.

www.jamesganh.com

Pairs of Cufflinks (sold separately) in hand sculpted 18K white gold set with Ethiopian opals and diamonds; The Royal Collection. POA.