The only 3 pieces of jewelry men should wear

Advertisement

men's accessories

Flickr/Kent Wang

A minimalist Kent Wang watch with simple fleur-de-lis cuff links.

As far as jewelry goes, for men, simple is better. As Askmen.com notes, the "less is more" adage applies to jewelry above all else

Advertisement

Most men should only be seen with three main accessories decorating their appendages: a nice watch, a good pair of cuff links, and, if they're married, a simple wedding band.

Why? Because unless you're a movie star, pro athlete, or pirate, it's extremely hard for today's man to pull off anything more extravagant than those three pieces.

Earrings, metallic chains, and even bracelets look out of place on most men who try to pull them off. Unfortunately, they just make it look like you're trying too hard - more Tony Soprano than James Bond.

This doesn't mean your accessories have to be boring, though. There's plenty of room within the confines of the pieces to make a statement with your accessories. There are a million kinds of watches to choose from, as well as a set of cuff links for every interest under the sun.

Advertisement

As always, however, once you know the rules you have license to break them.

Men's style expert Barron Cuadro of Effortless Gent, shies away from absolutes in regard to male jewelry. He told Business Insider that "it all depends on a man's personal style and how eccentric he is in his day-to-day wardrobe."

"Some guys (e.g. Pharrell, Johnny Depp) can wear a ton of jewelry and they look great, because it fits their personality and aesthetic," Cuadro says. "If, say, Don Draper showed up at SC&P one day in the same jewelry, it wouldn't make sense."

If you can get away with it and it fits your personal style - more power to you, go crazy. But just keep in mind it might not fit in with your financial firm's conservative dress code.

NOW WATCH: 10 fashion mistakes men make over and over at the office