Men’s jewelry winners favor geometric cuffs and stackable style
Geometric cuffs, fan rings and pearl-tipped cufflinks showed men’s jewelry shifting toward pieces that stack, layer and still read giftable.
Men’s jewelry is moving past the one-off statement piece and toward objects with a clearer daily role: cuffs that can stack, rings that carry weight without feeling costume-like, and gold designs that read as structured rather than showy. That shift was easy to see in the men’s category of the 2026 INSTORE Design Awards, where Robin Callahan Designs LLC’s Geo Men’s cuff in 14K yellow gold took first place with 2.60 carats of G-H-color, VS-clarity diamonds and a $49,500 price tag.
Judges Sarah York, Daniela Balzano and Tracey Ellison responded to the cuff’s geometry and proportion. York called it “art-deco with a modern twist,” a useful shorthand for the direction men’s fine jewelry is heading: heritage lines, softened for current wear. Ellison said it was “perfect for a men’s wrist stack,” and that may be the clearest market signal in the category. Men’s jewelry is no longer being judged only as a single accent. It is increasingly designed to sit beside a watch, another cuff or a slim bracelet and still hold its shape.
The rest of the podium reinforced that idea in different registers. Jye’s International Inc. placed second with a Japanese Fan ring in 18K yellow gold, centered by a 32.22-carat cat’s-eye chrysoberyl and framed by 2.04 carats of diamonds. At $187,500, it was the most extravagant piece in the group, but its fan motif kept the form controlled, almost ceremonial, rather than aggressive. Robin Callahan Designs returned for third place with Twisted cufflinks, pairing 11.8 mm cultured Australian South Sea faceted pearls with black diamonds totaling 2.74 carats and 0.44 carats of white diamonds in 14K yellow gold. At $49,900, they translated the same structured sensibility into formalwear, where men’s jewelry still has room to feel polished and personal.
The Retailer’s Choice winner, Artful Eye Jewelry Design Center’s Antiqued Octopus Anchor pendant, pushed that language further into giftable territory. In 18K yellow gold and sterling silver, the 2.25-inch pendant hung from a 22-inch anchor-style chain and carried a $14,995 price. Across the 11th edition of the awards, which drew 229 entries and used blind voting from six retailers and three media personalities, the message was consistent. Colored gemstones were “hotter than ever,” but the pieces that stood out were the ones that looked built for real wardrobes: layered, architectural and wearable without reading overly fashion-forward.
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