Jewellery traditionally has played a major role in fashion for women. But when it comes to men, the choices have been very limited. However, in recent years, male celebrities, models, and influencers have been seen wearing striking accessories that go beyond a watch, mostly a ring, ear studs, pendant & chain, or a bracelet. With this ongoing trend, it is evident that jewellery and accessories are no longer only a girl’s best friend. Risk-takers such as Ali Lalani, popularly known as Franky Diamond, are now pushing the trend even further by designing jewels with a masculine edge and encouraging men to experiment with jewellery.
The Toronto-native, through his designs and techniques, is giving a modern touch to the conventional pieces of jewellery that are not only unique and attractive but free from gender biases as well. With roots in India and Pakistan and a legacy that spans generations, Franky leapt into jewellery designing to fill the market gap that he feels is untapped, and yet, highly sought after. Now, after years of creating the finest accessories and statement pieces, the celebrity jeweller has found success with a huge portfolio of clients that include runway models, sportsmen, and hip-hop artists among many others. It’s safe to say that his luxury jewels are majorly donned by the elite and influential.
In fact, being an ardent social media user himself, he often takes the opportunity of showcasing his work on different platforms. In many of his recent posts on Instagram, his jewellery designs were lauded by the likes of Dalton Pompey, Ryuk Chain, Pressa Armani, and Bruna Bandz. Since starting his career in this field, the jewellery designer’s whole and sole objective has been to make accessories and pieces of jewellery that reflect people’s personality and enhance their presence. What’s even more interesting is the fact that the jewellery designs are mostly millennial-friendly, which he considers as his target audience. Among many of his other collections, his rings and pendants with designs of the Snapchat ghost, Egyptian pharaohs, and carvings like cash money are winning him more and more clients than ever before.
In his opinion, men’s jewellery category is a small one and though it may never scale up as much as the market for women, it shouldn’t be left unattended or unexplored. He also adds, “Jewellery is an important fashion statement for everyone – it cannot be undervalued on the basis of gender. Indeed, there is heavy resistance on the part of men to buy jewellery pieces of their own, but we, the designers, need to overcome this challenge by developing products that are timeless and stylish. The key here is to not just design the perfect statement piece or convince a client to don a look but to also consider how they view it.”
Lastly, for the entire men’s jewellery market, as a piece of advice, Franky shares to keep it simple, straightforward, and minimalistic. He concludes by saying, “jewellery is fun and an expression of style, so don’t hold back, go for it!”