Why Do Men Wear Pearl Necklaces? Meaning, History and Why They're Back

Men wore pearls first. For most of recorded history, they were a man's jewel.

Every other article on men's pearls opens with a list of famous faces spotted in them lately. That misses the real story. The rise of the men's pearl necklace isn't a passing trend, it's a return. Pearls were symbols of power, wealth and protection for men for thousands of years, and the idea that they belong to women is barely a century old.

Below we'll cover why men wear pearl necklaces, what a pearl necklace means on a man, the history most people have never heard, when and why men stopped wearing them, why they're back, and where to start if you want one.

Jump to:

• Why Do Men Wear Pearl Necklaces?
• What Does a Pearl Necklace Mean on a Man?
• Did Men Wear Pearl Necklaces First?
• When Did Men Stop Wearing Pearl Necklaces?
• Why Are Men Wearing Pearls Again?
• Can Men Wear Pearl Necklaces?
• Which Pearl Necklace Should You Start With?
• FAQs

Why Do Men Wear Pearl Necklaces?

Short answer: because they stand out, and because they always have.

A chain is the default. Walk into any room and half the men wearing jewellery are wearing one. A pearl necklace does something a chain can't. The soft white of a real pearl against a black T-shirt, a tanned neck or an open collar is pure contrast, and it reads as a choice rather than a habit.

There are four reasons men give for wearing them, and most wear pearls for more than one:

• Individuality. Real pearls are grown, not made, so no two are identical. Your necklace is yours in a way a mass-made chain isn't.
• Confidence. Pearls still carry a trace of the unexpected on a man. Wearing them says you're comfortable with that.
• History. Kings, emperors, maharajas and warriors wore them. There's weight behind the look.
• Versatility. A pearl necklace works on its own, and it layers with the silver and gold chains you already own.

How you wear one is a subject of its own. Our guide to styling a men's pearl necklace covers outfits, sizes and layering. This article is about the why.

What Does a Pearl Necklace Mean on a Man?

Once known as the "Queen of Gems", pearls were symbols of wealth, status and power, reserved for the elite. In several cultures they were also worn as protective amulets, carried into battle or into the next life.

Today the meaning has shifted. Pearls are no longer worn purely as a symbol of wealth. On a man they mostly say three things: that he's confident enough to wear something most men won't, that he cares about design over logos, and that he doesn't mind standing apart.

Pearls also pair naturally with symbols that carry their own meaning. A pearl strand with a compass, a cross or a clover combines the pearl's old associations with something personal. If a symbol matters to you, our guides to what a compass necklace means, the meaning of the cross necklace and why men wear clover for luck are worth a read before you choose.

Did Men Wear Pearl Necklaces First?

Yes. Men wearing pearls is well documented across thousands of years and several continents, long before a strand of pearls became shorthand for feminine elegance.

Ancient China. Some of the earliest written mentions of pearls are Chinese, with records often dated to around 2000 BC or earlier. They were valued as tribute and worn by royalty.

Ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder wrote that pearls held first place among all precious things, and in Rome they were prized above diamonds. Julius Caesar is recorded as restricting the wearing of pearls to people of a certain rank, which tells you exactly how much status they carried.

India. Indian maharajas wore pearls in layer upon layer, often in ropes that reached the waist, as a public display of power and wealth.

The Pacific. Across Polynesia, pearls and pearl shell carried spiritual as well as decorative weight, and were worn by chiefs and warriors.

Tudor and Elizabethan England. Portraits of the period show wealthy men with pearls sewn into their clothing, and figures like Sir Walter Raleigh painted wearing a pearl earring.

So what changed the game? In 1893, Japanese entrepreneur Mikimoto Kōkichi produced one of the first cultured pearls, and over the following decades cultured pearl farming revolutionised the industry. Pearls were no longer reserved for the elite few, and for some men that may have taken away the status and exclusivity a real pearl necklace once held.

When Did Men Stop Wearing Pearl Necklaces?

There was no single moment. It was a slow shift across the 20th century, and it's hard to pin down exactly when pearls fell out of favour with men.

What's clear is how the new image was built. As cultured pearls made them affordable, fashion houses and film stars made the pearl strand the signature of feminine style. Coco Chanel wore long ropes of them. Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe made them part of the classic Hollywood look. Powerful marketing did the rest, and the perception stuck for the best part of a hundred years.

That hundred years is the exception, though, not the rule. Set against the thousands of years before it, pearls as "women's jewellery" is a recent idea.

Why Are Men Wearing Pearls Again?

Fast forward to the present day, and men's pearls are making a comeback. What's most exciting about them now is that they're not about wealth. As freshwater pearls have become more available, it's all about design, exclusivity and finding styles that set you apart.

A few things pushed them back into men's wardrobes:

• Musicians and athletes. Hip-hop artists, footballers and actors started wearing pearls on stage, on the pitch and on the red carpet, and the look filtered down fast.
• Design built for men. Steel hardware, iced details, pendants and chain woven between the pearls turned the classic strand into something new.
• A move away from logos. Men are looking for pieces with character rather than branding, and a natural pearl has more character than most things you can buy.

As Alex Cannon, founder of CRAFTD, puts it: "Pearls show confidence and individuality. Men are looking to make a statement with their jewellery, and they're not afraid to be different."

We've been designing pearl necklaces for men since 2020, with one rule: if it's not the real deal, it's not CRAFTD. Every pearl necklace we make uses real freshwater pearls, set on 316L stainless steel finished in 18K gold or rhodium.

Can Men Wear Pearl Necklaces?

Yes, and the question itself is a product of that last century. Men wore pearls long before women were expected to, and they're wearing them again now.

If you still see a pearl necklace as a more feminine piece, that's fine. It just means wearing one takes a bit more confidence, and confidence is most of what makes any piece of jewellery work. Ultimately it's about self-expression. If it looks good, it looks good.

A few things make pearls sit naturally on a man:

• Size. 5-7mm pearls are big enough to read as intentional and small enough to layer.
• Hardware. Steel clasps and 18K gold or silver-tone accents give the strand a harder edge than a traditional pearl necklace.
• Company. Worn alongside a chain or a pendant, pearls become one part of a stack rather than the whole statement.

The same thinking applies to your wrist. Our guide to the men's pearl bracelet covers why men wear them and how to pick one.

Which Pearl Necklace Should You Start With?

When it comes to men's pearls, necklaces are the most worn and most sought-after pieces. Here are three of our most popular, each a different way in.

Rounded Real Pearl Necklace (Silver)

If you're new to men's pearls, start here. A classic pearl necklace speaks volumes on its own: light, fresh and bold. Real freshwater pearls are hand-strung into a clean, rounded silhouette, and each one carries its own natural variation. It's perfect for layering, yet bold enough to stand alone, and it pairs with your favourite gold and silver necklaces or a matching rounded pearl bracelet.

Iced Beaded Real Pearl Necklace (Gold)

Not all pearls are created equal. This one spaces real freshwater pearls with signature iced spheres, embellished in hand-set AAA grade cubic zirconia on 18K gold and 316L stainless steel. It's the piece for when you want the pearls to catch the light, and it layers well over a plain chain.

Pearl Gift Set (Silver)

A pearl necklace paired with a matching pearl bracelet gives you a cohesive look in one go. The Pearl Gift Set brings together a real pearl necklace and a real pearl bracelet, both adjustable, in a luxury gift box. It's one of our most consistently sold sets, it's covered by our lifetime warranty, and it's the perfect gift for the jewellery lover in your life.

Want to see how any of these look layered? The A New Wave of Pearls lookbook shows them on, and for warmer months our summer pearl necklace guide has seasonal pairings.

FAQs

Why do men wear pearl necklaces?

For the same reasons men wore them for thousands of years before the 20th century: status, individuality and the confidence to wear something most people won't. Today it's mostly about contrast and character. A string of real pearls against a plain T-shirt or an open collar looks different from every chain in the room.

What does a pearl necklace mean on a man?

Historically, power and protection. Pearls were reserved for rulers in ancient Rome, worn by Indian royalty, and treated as protective amulets in several cultures. On a man today it mostly signals confidence and a willingness to stand apart, since every natural pearl is slightly different.

When did men start wearing pearls?

Thousands of years ago. Pearls appear in some of the earliest written records from China, Persia and India, and men in positions of power wore them long before they were linked with women's fashion.

Why did men stop wearing pearls?

Gradually, over the 20th century. Cultured pearls made them far more affordable, and fashion houses and film stars then made the strand of pearls a symbol of feminine elegance. That image stuck for decades.

Is a pearl necklace feminine?

Only by the standards of the last hundred years or so. Across most of history pearls were a symbol of male power. A men's pearl necklace built on steel hardware, with pendants, iced details or chain between the pearls, reads very differently from a classic strand.

Are the pearls in CRAFTD necklaces real?

Yes. We use real freshwater pearls, so each one carries its own natural variation in shape and lustre. Our pearl necklaces use 5-7mm pearls with an adjustable 48-53cm fit.

What's the best first pearl necklace for a man?

A plain strand of rounded freshwater pearls in silver or gold. It works on its own, it layers with the chains you already own, and it's the easiest way to find out how pearls sit with your style.

Where to Go From Here

The pearl necklace is one of the most timeless pieces of jewellery a man can wear, and one of the oldest. When you layer a set of freshwater pearls, few other pieces change an outfit as much. While men were the first to wear pearls, it's hard to say exactly when they fell out of favour. One thing is clear: they're back, and they belong to the boys.

In a market flooded with fakes, real freshwater pearls with solid hardware are what separate a piece you'll keep from one you won't. Explore the full Men's Real Pearl Necklace Collection, then read our men's pearl necklace styling guide to work out how you'll wear yours.