Thanks in no small part to celebrities from Harry Styles and Shawn Mendes to Pete Davidson, A$AP Rocky and Machine Gun Kelly, jewellery is now a fixture of any stylish man’s wardrobe. Sure, men have been rocking chains and rings for an age (literally – the Egyptians were some of the first to don ornate body trinkets), but it hasn’t been until recent years that men have really started to wear their jewellery with pride.

That sentiment has been reflected in recent fashion seasons, whereby shows of some of the biggest names at Paris and Milan wouldn’t have been complete without heavily ringed fingers and solid gold and silver accessorising throughout, with Gucci, Versace and Maison Margiela leading the way.

And though by no means is this an endorsement of Mr T as an unsung style hero, the styling ethos is maximalism, so don’t be shy. Below we’ve compiled five essential pieces of jewellery for men that you might consider accessorising your neck, fingers or shirt lapel with, plus our edit of the best men’s jewellery brands you can buy from right now.

1. Rings

Harry Styles seems to have identified Liberace as his identical hand twin and accessorised accordingly. By no means are we hating it. Pairing subtle gold or silver bands with sparkling, over-sized gems and more ostentatious designs has become the accessorising choice of stylish men all over. It’s most likely thanks to Gucci’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, whose last few runway shows have really shown the middle finger (and the rest) to minimalism.

2. Necklaces

For inspiration on how to wear a necklace, look no further than Shawn Mendes, who can seriously rock a chain. Every man should own one necklace with a slim metal chain that treads a careful length balance – look for something that just peeps up above the top button of a spread-collar shirt. Just as stylish of late, though, is the Western-style leather necklace or bolo tie, for which you can look to Prada and Versace.

3. Bracelets

Words that should never be associated with men’s bracelets include string, bangle and friendship (shudders). In fact, bracelets are the one piece of jewellery for men where we’d veer on the side of simplicity. That means either a brushed metal band with an engraving, a simple chain link or a combination of the two. If you’re going to wear it on the same wrist as your watch, the subtler, the better.

4. Brooches

A brooch is a great way to elevate a black-tie look (see Timothée Chalamet’s vintage Cartier brooch from his 2020 Oscars look). With no fixed body part to attach it to, a brooch is the ultimate form of self-expression. The late Karl Lagerfeld, for instance, was known for wearing his brooch on his tie. From jewelled beetles to pimped-up sheriff badges, there are no inherent rules here. We’ll be wearing ours on a denim jacket.

5. Earrings

More and more men are getting their ears pierced and fashion brands and jewellers jumped on the chance to cater to their new earholes. Nothing quite says self-expression like a man’s earring, whether you’re going subtle with a stud or statement with a dangling pearl à la Mr Styles.

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Shop GQ’s edit of the best jewellery brands for men…