Like a healthy dusting of parmesan on a meaty New York slice, the best gold bracelets for men convert even a basic outfit to a truly eye-catching one. Running errands in a plain white tee and faded blue jeans? Add a gold bracelet to the mix and your top-of-the-hamper look is now date-night-ready. Bumming around the house in a fuzzy sweater and Cheetos-stained Dickies? Nothing will look better jangling beneath your shirt sleeve when you step out for an early-morning caffeine fix.
The above is all because gold, in any form, remains a cut above its stainless steel or even sterling silver counterparts. It’s not as flashy as, say, a grip of dazzling princess cut diamonds, but it’ll make you feel like a king no matter how you incorporate it. Despite that, it’s still all too often looked over in favor of more commonplace jewelry like silver rings or gold necklaces. Which is an added shame, given that the primo gold stuff is an immediate future heirloom that’ll prove to your Gen-whatever grandkids ol’ Pops wasn’t always a teetering dodder. But don’t worry: spend a little less scratch and you can still harness the same cool, sans the ding on your credit card.
To help you join the men’s jewelry renaissance in gilded fashion, we rounded up 16 of the absolute best gold bracelets for men on the market right now.
The Best Men’s Gold Bracelets for Every Budget
Looking for Something Specific?
The Best Gold Bracelets Under $150
At more of a, let’s say, silver price point, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to find solid gold. That said, there’s a good range of beautiful, gold vermeil and gold-plated jewelry available also, many of which have a sterling silver base, which is an added dose of quality itself. While the other categories on this list have a little more great options to choose from, if you’re not ready to go full Midas yet, both of the below are still plenty special.
The Best Gold Bracelets Under $500
It’s at under $500 that we start to see brands flexing their design credentials a bit more. This is good, as for most of us, this price point falls firmly in the ‘investment’ end of the spectrum, so you want to make sure your purchase has something special to it. These all do.
The Best Gold Bracelets Over $500
Naturally for the category we’re discussing, the greatest gold bracelets are just going to cost a little more. This is the big leagues: The pieces that will require a more painful upfront investment, but prove worth it over the long term as they become one of the more significant, lifelong staple items in your wardrobe.
Your Gold-Related Questions, Answered
What are the different types of gold?
Gold is classified in karats. This essentially measures the purity of the metal, and how much actual gold element is in the alloy. A lower score isn’t necessarily bad: 9k gold is the most common lower karat— it contains around 40% of gold in the alloy—but this makes it the most durable composition-wise, as higher-karat gold is a very soft metal by comparison. 14k and 18k contain 58% and 75% respectively, with the durability decreasing with each increase in gold percentage. The highest purity you can find is 24k, which is 99.9% pure gold—with that comes the obvious price tag, and the respective softness too.
How do you keep gold clean?
Over time, gold plated items over time will show signs of wear, particularly in high friction areas like the back of the neck. This is due to the plating being a very thin layer of gold over a more durable and inexpensive metal, often sterling silver. It’s best to take off any plated items before showering to avoid exacerbating this wearing process with water/chemicals.
The easiest way to clean your gold jewelry is in warm water, with a small amount of mild detergent or baby shampoo. You want to avoid using any chemicals like chlorine or soaps, as this can dull the metal. Polish with a dry cloth to buff out any dirt, and store in a dark place, like the cloth bag that you’ll usually find comes with your piece.
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