What’s fantastically cool about living in the modern era is that timepieces and jewelry are made from some unexpected and remarkable materials. For example, did you know that designers like Jord sculpt collections of watches from wood?
But of course, wood is only one of the fascinating materials that ateliers are using to create amazing designs. Today, Luxurious J&T wants to present some of the more unique styles of watches and men’s jewelry from top designers.
We’re hoping that you’ll get a new perspective on what’s available and what you can wear to better express your personal aesthetic.
Plasma Ceramic
Rado watches are known for their use of creative materials, and the one we’d like to focus on here is plasma ceramic. It’s a very sci-fi term, but we can break it down:
Ceramics are inorganic compounds of metals, non-metals, or metalloids that are arranged in a crystalline form. They’re heated to form a glass-like material. Rado ups the ante by baking their white ceramic in a kiln again.
The plasma in the kiln reaches 20,000°C, heating the ceramic to 900°C. This alters the chemical structure of the ceramic, creating a shining, glistening, metallic ceramic that continues to be non-magnetic, scratch-resistant, light, and non-allergenic.
Palladium
When you visit your local jewellery store, you may notice pieces made with palladium. Palladium is element 46 on the periodic table. It’s a transition metal (like silver, gold, and platinum), but unlike other transition metals like iron, palladium is extremely rare.
It’s chemically similar to platinum, and on an industrial level is used for similar processes. However, while platinum develops a beautiful gunmetal patina over time, palladium retains a white gold appearance that sets it apart.
You can find palladium used in the Clé de Cartier collection from Cartier: The remarkable dials of these timepieces show off the luminous silvery color of palladium, and when the unique designs of Cartier watches and bright blue tones are added, you know you have something special.
Carbon Fiber
In recent history, carbon fiber has been used for industrial purposes and for sports, auto racing, and outdoor games. However, the same properties that make carbon fiber useful for those pursuits also make them useful for men’s watches and jewelry.
Interwoven carbon fibers are remarkably light, nigh-indestructible, non-magnetic, and has an aesthetic power all its own. A man who appreciates those features and the cool black of carbon fiber has a lot of options in modern design.
For example, the aforementioned Lashbrook creates an entire line of carbon fiber wedding bands, pairing the material with precious metals, ceramics, and Damascus steel to create a fascinating contrast that’s durable enough for any man’s lifestyle.
Need More Ideas?
We at Luxurious J&T strive to be the style guide for every man, so we’re always looking for new ideas and novel pieces to show off. If you’ve got some rare materials in mind, drop us a line and let us know!