When you think of jewelry, women come first to mind. It is a fashion accessory that many women adorn themselves with. But the truth is, many men enjoy wearing jewelry in various forms as well, and there are plenty of designers who create pieces and collections exclusively for their male customers. Popular imagery include weapons, zodiac signs and sports in heavier materials than are used for women’s jewelry, such as thick leather, titanium, stainless steel and tungsten.

Here are a few favorite “manly” pieces:

Bullet Pendants
The bullet pendants are mystic charms according to Gia Bahm, the woman behind Unearthen. A New York based artisan, she makes her jewelry from bullet casings and crystal stones (citrine, topaz, amethyst, etc.) with the belief that “the uniting of the crystal and empty bullet creates a powerful opposition, causing old dreams and new beginnings to fall upon its bearer.” Regardless of what one believes, they are really cool and unique, and definitely manly.

Faith and Weapons
These European-style beads are part of Danish jeweler Aagaard’s men’s jewelry line, Lovelinks Blog. They come in sterling silver in images of grenades, tanks, dynamite, Thor’s hammer, etc. and work with Lovelink bracelets (which come in leather, sterling silver or rubber).

Cement Jewelry
What started out as a blog project for Totonto-based “Cement” took off and became a men’s jewelry collection. The collections consist of necklaces with pendant designs including an Indian headdress, skull, pyramid, gauntlet, etc. The pendants come in oxidized or polished sterling silver with a 30” oxidized chain. Russel Gozlan, founder and designer, creates his designs in his family’s factory (he is a fourth generation jeweler) and also makes custom pieces for his clients.

Dog Tags
Handmade in sterling silver (with gold accents), the personalized dog tags from Massachusetts-based company Isabelle Grace are part of their men’s collection. The tags come in both the traditional dog tag-shape and a shield-shaped version and can be customized with any (short) message you’d like, both on the front and back. They make perfect men gifts for Father’s day, birthdays or the holidays. Their women’s lines of jewelry are popular too, and have been picked up by many celebrities such as Tori Spelling, Katherine Heigl and Scout Masterson.

Steel Beads
Another European-style bracelet type, the beads from Guise, a male jewelry accessory brand, are made from stainless steel and compatible with their leather bracelets. The beads come in a variety of designs with etched grooves, swirl and mesh patterns, and have an internal rubber ring to keep them in place on the bracelet.

So as you can see, jewelry doesn’t have to be girly at all – it’s all in the design and the materials used. The next time you’re stuck for a gift for a man in your life, why not give jewelry a try?