MJSA – Manufacturing Jewellers and Suppliers of America Features Men’s Jewelry by John S. Brana

Designing and Manufacturing Men’s Jewelry for Today’s Man

“Simplistic designs that showcase a texture instead of a stone have a wide appeal with men, says Karri Ann Frerichs for San Francisco—based designer John Brana. If a stone is used, it’s usually solo and set flush with the surface. In addition, she reports that men look for pieces with significant weight that offer durability, shying away from lightweight pieces that they don’t perceive will withstand the daily wear and tear of an active lifestyle. “For these design preferences, John has developed sterling silver collections that focus on textures and minimalistic designs,” Frerichs explains.

Brana often opts for fabrication over casting to make his hammered and chased pieces. “I can make a simple band in about 20 minutes versus the time involved in making the master, creating rubber molds, injecting the wax, spruing, investing, casting, despruing, and finishing,” says Brana. “Casting would make sense if the designs were heavily patterned, or if I was doing production runs of 50+ rings at a time and could move them out of inventory within 60 days. With fabrication, you can do small runs and not carry any inventory. It also allows you the flexibility to size on the fly, and the ability to customize band width, thickness, and stone choice with ease.”

For design inspiration, Brana looks to natural and organic themes to create his signature textures of Redwood, Reptile, Wave, Tonga, and Sierra. The designer has developed a loyal customer base by turning clients into collectors, making it easy (especially with many pieces retailing under $300) to amass a complete collection based on the texture the client likes best. The brand’s bestseller is Redwood.

“Typically, our male customers start with a thumb ring, look next to the matching bracelet or cufflinks, and round out their collection with a pendant on a rawhide or link chain,” says Frerichs, noting the company’s key demographic is men ages 20 to 35 who live in cosmopolitan areas, appreciate fashion, purchase designer labels, and look for quality over price point.”

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Men’s Designer Jewelry

Stylish Men’s Designer Jewelry

What does one look for when shopping for men’s jewelry? Style is most important, of course. Then, one looks for durability, a sense of chic, and a certain presence. In general, men are less inclined to follow the ups and downs of fashion trends and more likely to wear distinctive jewelry that represents their own unique personality and sense of style.

The hip, cool, and classically American style of John S. Brana’s Handcrafted Men’s Jewelry fits the bill perfectly. Designed in oxidized sterling silver, John S. Brana’s one-of-a-kind men’s bracelets are ruggedly handsome and absolutely unique. These bold and chunky designer bracelets are available in four styles, any one of which is bound to appeal to any man with a taste for fine jewelry.

Nature Inspired Men’s Designer Jewelry

The Tonga Collection features a sturdy sterling silver curb link bracelet highlighted with intricate carving inspired by ancient Pacific Island tribes. The majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range is the inspiration for the distinctive Sierra Collection’s abstract design. The man who enjoys the grace and tranquility of the Pacific Ocean will surely be thrilled to receive a bracelet from the Wave Collection. The wavy design brings to mind the lull of a gently rolling sea. Then there’s the Rawhide Collection, which celebrates the days of the Old West by giving the oxidized sterling silver the look and texture of worn leather.

Each of these hallmarked, oxidized sterling silver men’s bracelets features an attractive and sturdy curb link design and substantial lobster claw clasp. Whichever you choose, you can’t go wrong by making your selection from handcrafted jewelry designer John S. Brana’s line of bold and beautifully crafted men’s jewelry.

Men’s Silver Jewelry – Definitely For Everyone

Some people like gold jewelry, and some people like silver. It all depends on if you like the warmth of gold, or the coolness of silver. If you’re a woman or a  man, silver jewelry may very well be your thing.  Silver and gold are the two main metals that have been used for jewelry since jewelry first started being worn!

Silver jewelry is actually made from "sterling silver", which is an alloy consisting of 92.5% silver with 7.5% copper. That’s because silver, like gold, is too soft in its normal state to be used – it is too easily deformed. Sterling silver is harder than pure silver. (When it comes to "hallmark quality" silverware, Britannia silver is used – that consists of 95.8% silver).  Sterling silver is also sometimes "flashed." That means, its plated with a thin coat of .999 fine silver to give it a shiny finish.
 
When people think of jewelry, they usually associate jewelry being just for women, but for a man, silver jewelry has recently taken off. Silver bracelets, cufflinks, necklaces, and rings are all very popular.  Although silver jewelry is made for both men and women, typically, jewelry aimed at men is more "masculine."   Not only is it larger in diameter (to accommodate larger wrists and fingers), but also it’s more massive and sturdy.

Many elite jewelers craft designs for the male market. Hand-crafted designs are the most elegant and unique, while mass-market jewelry – made from lesser materials (usually stainless steel and plated brass) – are available as well.  Guys want to wear unique silver jewelry for the same reasons that women do:  to get noticed, to be confident, and to be unique.

 

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Given Boutique Will be the First San Francisco Retailer to Carry John S. Brana – Distinctive Men’s Jewelry Collection

Selections from John S. Brana’s men’s jewelry collections as well as several women’s jewelry pieces are now available at GIVEN, 575 Castro Street, San Francisco. This Castro neighborhood lifestyle boutique is a local favorite for art, home accessories, and, of course, contemporary jewelry. Customers will enjoy unique textures in fine silver jewelry sets including rings, pendants, bracelets and cufflinks from John S. Brana’s Reptile, Redwood and Tonga men’s collections.

“John Brana’s jewelry is a perfect fit at GIVEN,” said Nick Romero, owner of Given which is in its second year of business. “All the work by our store artists share a common theme: creativity, beauty and just a hint of the unexpected combined with unmistakable quality. John’s jewelry has all of these aspects in abundance!" San Franciscans may best know this boutique location as the former camera store and recent set of Milk, a documentary of the 1970’s gay and civil rights activist, Harvey Milk.   Romero was most drawn to the raw, geometric texture found in Brana’s Tonga collection of fine silver chunky bracelets, cufflinks, rings and pendants. In addition to eight different men’s styles, GIVEN will also sell several women’s jewelry pieces including a chased link necklace, bracelet and earrings in 14K gold-filled and two hand-sculpted copper cuffs. 

John S. Brana began crafting his jewelry collections by hand in his West Portal studio overlooking the Pacific Ocean after leaving a career as vice president of finance for the Charles Schwab Corporation in 2003,. Brana’s creative influences come directly from neighborhoods in and around San Francisco, including Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, Seacliff and Sonoma. To view all styles available by John S. Brana, please visit www.johnsbrana.com. For more information and media requests regarding John S. Brana – Distinctive Jewelry, please contact Karri Ann Frerichs at 402.490.2579 or karriann@altitudepromotion.com.