Necklaces are one of the easiest types of jewelry for men to wear. They’re great for complementing your outfit and accentuating your personality without overpowering or drawing lots of attention. It’s a very tasteful, easy way to add a touch of simple style to your everyday look. The problem is, there are so many types of necklaces for guys. And whether you’re buying a necklace for yourself or somebody else, you will want to choose a style that tells a story. These 10 meaningful necklaces for guys do just that.
Not only that they’re also extremely easy to personalize. When they’re custom, that gives you options to express yourself further. Your necklace can reflect certain adventures, memories, highlights, and big moments of your life. So no matter which necklace you choose, you have a piece that brings love and joy.
Finding Meaningful Mens Necklaces
Meaningful necklaces for guys are designed with a purpose in mind. Most mens pendants with meanings with meaning symbolize something important: a goal you are working towards, a passion of yours, someone you love, a quality you embody. You can find one with a meaning already given to it, or choose your own as you buy it. Either way, you are the one that puts the purpose behind your mens necklaces with meaning.
10 Types of Necklaces for Guys
Whether you’re buying a necklace for yourself or somebody else, you will want to choose a style that represents the story. These 11 popular men’s necklace styles provide you with a wide array of styles to choose from. See which of these popular men’s necklace styles fits you.
Dog Tag Necklace
Dog tags reveal what’s most important about someone when the wearer is unable to. They’re highly personal because each person’s tag carries their own unique story. A dog tag necklace is a meaningful opportunity to narrow down what’s most important to you, then always keep it close. Each of our tags hangs on either a black or pewter stainless steel chain that isn’t too distracting or heavy.
The tags themselves have an antique, rugged look that perfectly brings them down to earth to naturally match with your outfit. Engrave them with special names, dates, locations, or words, or pick from any of the “brave,” “risk” or cross embellishments. You can’t go wrong with any choice, as they all reflect stepping into your own personal power to be the man, dad, or husband you were always meant to be. Be brave. Take risks. And follow your heart to grow.
Guitar Pick Necklace
“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” ~Victor Hugo. All throughout history, even going back to ancient times, poets and musicians have helped build society through stories, feelings, tributes, and acts of bravery. Music helps define us through inspiration. And what better way to represent changing the world, one song at a time, than with a guitar pick necklace.
Give it to someone else to remind them to be true to themselves and shape the world through their music, or wear it yourself, as a reminder to stay resilient and lend your voice to the world. When words fail, music speaks. So turn up the volume, close your eyes, and let music flood through your heart with a guitar pick necklace.
Pendant Necklaces
Jewelry is a form of art and expression. And even though most masculine figures don’t wear their heart on their sleeves, it doesn’t mean jewelry is out of the question. Pendant necklaces give men the chance to show who they are and what matters most in a subtle, but stylish way.
They’re one of the trending necklaces of 2020.
A pendant necklace, generally speaking, is any necklace with a single ornament that hangs from a cord or chain and rests on your neck.
Each pendant has a unique set of traits: its appearance, but also its quality and meaning. Some can be a decorative ornament or a clay tablet; others can be a tiny vial or something else entirely. This gives you plenty of choices to decide which style resonates with you best. A men's pendant with meaning is a classic way to wear what matters most to you over your heart. From traditional styles like a Saint Christopher through to something like the Resilient sterling silver pendant above, pendant necklaces are unfussy, simple, and stylish.
They can be worn tucked underneath anything with a collar or on top of a casual T-shirt for extra character. If a deep V-neck is more your approach, a shorter pendant necklace can be seen bare-chested.
Choker Necklaces
Chokers are essentially the opposite of a pendant. Instead of hanging onto your chest, a choker is usually a solid band that wraps around the neck. Sometimes they’re broken up with ornaments or other designs. A slim leather piece or chain can work well, making sure it sits comfortably on the neck without feeling too tight. Often, a single ornament will hang from the choker, or be built into the cord itself. A shark’s-tooth choker was a popular men’s necklace style — especially for surfers for a while; modern choker necklaces for men typically focus on sterling silver ornamentation or small gold pieces — the goal is to be classy, stylish, and unobtrusive.
Cross Necklaces
The cross is one of the clearest symbols of a strong relationship with your faith. By extension, it can be a symbol of other types of faithfulness, too. Wherever you are, it brings you back to who you are called to be. A profound way to show your devotion is by wearing a cross necklace. These necklaces are in pendant form, usually strung by a small chain or cord, and can be in any form, shape, or size.
Some you can engrave personally, whereas others can represent the various elements of faith: rock-solid trust, grace, sacrifice, truth, integrity, and love. Every time you wear it, you’ll be reminded of the love, safety, and belonging that comes with belief. For you are not alone.
Men’s Beaded Necklaces
Beads are a great way to accentuate your clothes and add a touch of personality. Typically, men’s beaded necklaces tend toward darker and more muted tones. Bead necklaces come in various shapes and sizes.
You can wear your beaded necklace over casual t-shirts or out to a casual occasion like parties and hanging out with friends. Purchase beaded necklaces for the style statement or even design your own men's necklace with meaning using our customizable styles. (Kids love to make these, but their idea of what looks good might not match yours…) Or, give it away as a gift to someone looking to expand their style.
Anchor/Mariner Chain Necklaces
A necklace is my anchor. There are lots of things that can weigh me down, but I refuse to sink; much that could blow me off course, but I remain… anchored. An anchor necklace is a pendant necklace, with an anchor emblem strung across a link chain or cord, like the sterling silver
Anchor of my Soul necklace
An anchor can represent many things for most of us, whether it’s around God’s faith that tethers you to love or a lifelong partner who is your rock and brings you back to what matters. While anchor necklaces started life as a way to show Christian faith when under Roman rule, for some they can have an entirely secular meaning, centered on connection and certainty, or on a calm center in the storms and adventures of life.
Figaro Chain Necklaces
You wear the chain you create in life. You write your own story, link by link, piece by piece until it all comes together in one strand: your life purpose. So what do you want to create? Who do you want to be? Connect the links with care, because it’s the small choices that drive your destiny.
As one of the most popular men’s chain styles, Figaro chain necklaces perfectly represent proudly wearing your story and being the man you were born to become. The necklace is a flat link chain with a particular pattern– two or three circular links interlocked, then followed by a much longer oval link. This unique style has history, too: it originated in Italy and is thought to be named after the well-known Italian opera, The Marriage of Figaro. Today, many of the best Figaro chains are still made in Italy, though many men’s jewelers offer the style. Usually, they’re worn over or under casual t-shirts, and they can also be personalized with a pendant. “A chain is not stronger than its weakest link. And life is, after all, a chain.” ~ William James
Men’s Feather Necklaces
Be light as a feather, but when necessary, show them your wings. Feathers have been powerful symbols going back to ancient times, signifying honor, trust, strength, wisdom, and power. Because of their connection with birds, they have been taken as a symbol of flight and freedom. In a spiritual sense, they portray the connection between the owner of the feather, the creator, and the bird from which the feather came.
A feather necklace is typically a long, fine-link chain necklace with a feather pendant. The pendant is usually made from a precious metal, but carved stone and other options are also popular men's necklaces. Not only are they super easy to personalize and style, they also emphasize the bond between a man and his spirituality and faith. Where anchors speak to certainty and security, the feather instead emphasizes liberty, and the ability to ride even rugged winds without being destroyed.
Kairos Necklaces
Live as if you were to die tomorrow because forever is composed of nows. Kairos is the Greek word for “the right time,” which means to take chances when life presents us with opportunities — for you may never see that moment again. This kairos necklace reminds us to open our eyes to what’s in front of us, and take action.
We all see things differently, and need to take different action. So one size doesn’t fit anyone here. That’s why you have the option to customize the sterling silver charm with up to eight characters. You can use meaningful words like “blessed” or “bold.” Or, you can think of locations, dates, times, or names that inspire you to seize the day.
Either way, you’ll have a beautifully rugged, long pendant necklace that encourages you to be brave and go after everything you want out of life.
Personalized Necklace Styles for Men
Personalized necklaces bring new meaning to men’s jewelry. Although wearing a necklace for style is great, it doesn’t hold as much significance as one that symbolizes an important life event, memory, emotion, or achievement. This is why personalizing your necklace — or the one you gift — can feel so worthwhile. The best men’s necklaces are more than fashion: they’re self-expression and a reminder of what’s truly important. In the end, a necklace sits right next to your heart. It needs to naturally lock with your values, so you feel more comfortable and at ease stepping into the world as the man you want to be. This is also important if you’re buying a necklace for someone else. The gift of jewelry can be very personal, and it’s essential to choose a piece that brings some sort of significance. Ultimately, you’re not just giving the gift of jewelry, you’re showing the man you care about that you understand him for who he is and love him unconditionally. It’s good to be loved, but it’s profound to be understood!
That's why you don’t just randomly pick from popular mens necklaces at the time, but find one that truly connects to who you are and can mean something to you. If you can appreciate the men's necklace styles for their purpose, then you will find something that has a personal connection to you.
Find Meaningful Men’s Necklaces at Stephen David Leonard
If you’re looking for men’s necklace styles that embody your personality and values, all while being a natural-looking fashion piece, you’ve come to the right place. Here at Stephen David Leonard, we have dozens of unique necklaces to choose from just for men. We have most of the styles described here to choose from, all in unique design that’s stylish and purposeful. Each is handcrafted by our expert artisans, and made with a meaning behind it. Most of our necklaces can even be personalized with a word, name, date, or phrase that’s important to you. Shop here to find your ideal necklace.