‘We see men that want men’s jewellery, and also men that appreciate and want the cleaner, softer pieces,’ says jeweller and Elhanati founder and creative director Orit Elhanati. ‘I steal my husband’s shirts and jackets from his closet, and he steals my jewellery. This kind of pushed me towards creating something that is made just for him. My world is really a mix where the masculine and feminine are constantly playing with each other; they are intertwined, but they are completely apart, and each have their own life.’
Elhanati had initially resisted creating jewellery specifically for men for her Copenhagen-based brand, but demand led her to produce men’s dem-fine jewellery collection X. Tightly knitted chains in gold-coated sterling silver are made to be stacked for a textured golden mesh; eschewing diamonds, they are occasionally embellished with flashes of deep malachite.
They are inspired by Elhanati’s summers spent in Tel Aviv, the Middle Eastern preference for warm gold meeting the Scandi minimalism of her own background. ‘Strong memories of my family, of both men and women that wore jewellery routinely in everyday settings – all dripping with gold, layering chain by chain – imprinted itself in my mind. This cultural mix of chaos meeting calm is very indulgent but also sedative, it brings me a sense of joy. When chaotic expression is blended with clean lines, you will always find magic in the mix.’
In the gold pieces, there’s a nostalgia for the opulence of the 1970s and 1980s. ‘The men’s collection is super raw and sexy,’ Elhanati adds. ‘We see men stacking the pieces but also buying single chains for something easy to wear every day. The malachite is very special to me. It is known to protect the bearer from toxic energy, and each stone is truly one of a kind: you will never have two chains that are the same.’
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