Hi, this question is for women too, but mostly about men... with the idea that women want to wear jewelry that men will find sexy... and is there jewelry men can wear that women find sexy...

What kind of jewelry do you find sexy? Or, for women, what kind of jewelry do you have that men find sexy? Specifically, jewelry made with glass beads rather than diamonds or other gemstones.

Sparkling crystals? A skinny little bracelet? A pendant on a chain? Long dangling earrings or small dangles? Single post pearl earrings?

Tight, choker styles? Strings of pearls? Gold color or silver color? Anklets?

A single large bead on a black leather cord?

What kind is not sexy?

Is there jewelry that looks sexy on men?

No names will be used at all, this is just a little non-scientific research I am doing for a column about, well, as you probably guessed, jewelry that is sexy-looking, or not.

Thanks for any help...

Personally, my style is spare. I HATEHATEHATE giant gaudy pieces--the more gemstones or other sparkly stuff, the tackier it looks. Simple, clean--if a dangling earring, then one hoop or one 'dangler'.

As for specific pieces, I think anklets are rather sexy depending on how they're worn (if there's pantyhose involved, or the skirt's too short, it can look weird.)

As for men, I prefer not a lot of jewelry--not because I think of jewelry as girlie, but because "not a lot of jewelry" fits my personal style as well. A watch (which may not count) is always fine. A ring (no more than two) is nice. I don't mind an earring as long as it's not--you guessed it--gaudy.

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I really don't like jewelry on guys... I don't mind a watch or a ring (as long as it isn't gaudy or one of those "gold nugget" jewelry rings), but other than that jewelry on guys doesn't do a thing for me. :)

I like hammered silver that isn't over-polished so the it's fluid and looks like running water. Very beautiful and sensuous. I hate anything that looks cheap and particularly those black velvet neck chokers that in the 1800's were worn by harlots as a signal. They still look sleazy to me even though they've had numerous fashion incarnations since. LOL.

Not all people think of jewelry as sexy. Most of the people I know--particularly the men--wear jewelry that is of some sort of sentimental value. One ring that I considered gaudy on a male friend was of tremendous sentimental value to him because it had belonged to his grandfather, whom he had deeply loved and admired. HE knew the ring was not exactly a spiffy modern piece, but it made him feel connected to his grandfather. I think that was probably far more impressive than the ring.

Other male jewelry that is NOT sexy would absolutely include nipple rings. I saw a man walking around with no shirt. He had these goofy nipple rings that had little silver balls on the hoops. They really looked like little door knockers. Small children laughed at him; it was more tragic than sexy.

For women, the standard of what's sexy or not is entirely dependent on the shape and style of the woman, not to mention the clothes that the jewelry is going with. A little goth girl is going to look smashing in a black velvet choker and numerous bangles and bracelets, mismatched, topped off with a pair of dangly earrings and maybe some higher ear piercings. On the other hand, a club girl is going to probably find a simple high-line necklace in shiny glass more her style, with earrings that are simple enough to match without getting caught in her hair on the dance floor.

I make a point of not wearing a lot of jewelry, although I find a certain sophistication and grace with wearing a pair of small simple hoop earrings. When I'm going out, if I don't have anything that matches my outfit, I go without or else wear just a simple gold or silver chain. (That's not counting that my husband thinks the sexiest jewelry I wear is my wedding ring.)

For men, again, it depends a lot on their personal style and body type. A furry man should not wear a lot of necklaces, as a skinny man should probably avoid overly large watches. I enjoy men who wear simple earrings (usually hoops, or captive-bead rings), and a ring or two. Why? Because it's interesting. Gaudy rings beg the question of "Why are you wearing those?", and that's always a great way to start a conversation. When I notice people's jewelry (especially men's), I tend to ask myself why they're wearing them. If someone is wearing a little cross or other religious piece, that's an interesting thing to me. If they're wearing a little fertility symbol (like the claws from the 70s), that's interesting and humorous to boot. Wide band watches look good on people with tattoos, and simple yet substantial watches or bracelets look good on men with a medium or large build.

I'm one of the few folks that finds body jewelry more interesting than sexy, probably because I've been around it for so long. Belly button piercings, although initially visually attractive, just bring back horror stories from friends about getting the ring caught on all sorts of things during romantic interludes. Le Brets (a piercing in the divot below the center of the lip) can be very sexy, depending on the jewelry (gaudy is irritating, simple is intriguing), as can a piercing through the bottom of the lip in the center (creates a kind of pouting effect). Nipple piercings are done more for personal pleasure than for aesthetics, so I don't count them as "pretty" jewelry.

Then again, people that enjoy body piercing aren't normally concerned with what's "sexy" so much as what's "risque". For my part, I enjoy my jewelry because I know what it means to me, and I could care less what anyone else thinks. My husband fell in love with me with my septum ring in, so I think he's probably okay with it on the "sexy-meter".

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And then there is art.... almost all the jewelry I own is one-of-a-kind made by an artist I know personally, or something I designed and created myself. I also like ethnic art, which tends to be more exotic than erotic to me. Since the war began, I've added peace pins to my jewelry collection in many languages, so jewelry has become a social and political statement as well.

I think a simple ring on a guy with muscular hands is sooo sexy. Small hoop earrings are cool, too. Some diamond studs look good, but they can't be too big.
I've always thought ankle braclets were sexy. I feel sexy when I'm wearing one.
Hope that helps.

It is all completely subjective, and even then it changes with mood, however, NO MAN has ever improved his appearance by adorning his wrist with a bracelet, of any kind, ever.

Interesting question, because when I thought about it, I realized that I've never considered ANY jewelry to be sexy.

Jewelry is inanimate. How can it be sexy?

I think people can be sexy. . . I've never thought anything inanimate could be sexy.

(Same with people with eating disorders. . . and they discuss their 'relationship with food.' Always puzzled me. . . it's obviously an 'illness' to have a 'relationship' with anything that can't respond back, love you, hug you, care for you, etc. . . We never have 'relationships' with our jewelry, or chairs, or clothing. . . )

Okay, just my two cents. . .