Sterling Silver Ankle Bracelet

Jewelry on guys: A do or a don't?

I get the question all the time, "Is jewelry on guys a do or a don't?"

My definitive reply? "It depends." As a general rule, my blanket response is that, no, sorry, apart from the odd cuff link, antique pocket watch or attainment of Keith Richards-level rock god status, men should not wear jewelry.

It might surprise you, then, that nearly every guy I've dated has sported some kind of trinket on a daily basis. Like many of my other dating deal breakers, I've broken my "no jewelry" clause with shocking frequency. Thankfully, a pattern emerged that's helped me clarify my position on the all-important question of what constitutes an acceptable accessory.

Here's what I've found: Men can get away with jewelry if 1.) There's strong emotional attachment to said bauble, and 2.) It doesn't look completely ridiculous.

Below, a brief trip through my dating history for the case studies:

In college, my basketball player boyfriend wore a rubber bracelet, a la Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong wrist wrappers.

In his hometown of Berlin, his basketball-playing friends enjoyed celebrity status, helped along by the BF's spot on the German national team alongside Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki. The group adopted the acronym "b.t.b.4.l" and wore it on everything they could slap the label on. I forget what the letters stand for, though I'm pretty confident the first one is "basketball." He also had the letters tattooed on his ankle, breaking my "no tattoos" deal breaker.

More recently, I found myself fond of an artist boyfriend's charm, shaped like his design studio logo, that he wore around his neck at the end of a dog tag chain. It was about the size of a nickel and nicely completed his daily uniform of paint-splattered camo pants and Hanes T-shirt. After a few months together, I even got a charm of my own, dipped in gold to offset his silver.

The jewelry worn by one brief dalliance even expanded my language skills. Asking about the glint of gold I noticed peeking out of a date's shirt collar, he pulled out a small word in Hebrew letters, strung on a thick chain. "My grandparents gave it to me for my bar mitzvah," he told me earnestly. "I wear it every day."

"Does it mean "l'chaim" like in the Black Eyed Peas song?" this ignorant shiksa asked. It did not.

Still another wore a sterling silver trinket that looked like an antler, picked up in Rome at a small vintage shop near the Trevi Fountain. Dangling from the end of two chains strung together, he kept it under his clothes and was somewhat embarrassed to admit he considered it a talisman. "For good luck," he said. "Even though I don't believe in all that.

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