The line between the appearances of the sexes has been blurred ever since the ‘80s. Often at the cutting edge of trends that filter their way down to the general populace, rock and pop stars such as Annie Lennox and her androgynous look and Boy George and Marilyn with their gender bender eccentricities, started a trend that has continued to evolve to this day.
It is doubtful whether the word ‘metrosexual’ would exist without all that preceded it.
However, 30 years after the start of this revolution, the old adage of “Vive la différence” may need to be phased out of the lexicon, as there do not seem to be too many differences left.
Take jewelry. Throughout history, jewelry was seen as an accessory worn by women. At various junctures throughout the ages men also wore jewelry but that often limited to a ring or perhaps a necklace.
However, as times have changed, and men became more comfortable being seen with jewelry that was almost the exclusive preserve of women.
Almost anything goes. Bracelets, earrings, anklets – if it’s good enough for the gals and makes a looks good, then what’s good for the gander must also be good for the goose.
Perhaps the latest trend in jewelry to be abducted from the fairer sex is fancy color diamond jewelry
“Fancy color diamonds?” I hear you ask. Yes. These are diamonds that come in colors of black, white, brown, green, gray, red, violet, purple, orange, blue, pink or the good old fancy yellow diamond. The multitudes of secondary hues to these colors result in an almost infinite number of color combinations as no two stones are the same.
Natural fancy color diamonds are much rarer than their colorless cousins.
For every 10,000 colorless diamonds discovered, there is but one colored diamond found. Similarly, different colors have different rarity, which, of course, is reflected in their price. For example, red, violet, and purple are deemed to be very rare and are priced accordingly.
A blue diamond on a man set in a ring or earring is quite striking and also a sign that he has “arrived” as blue diamonds are relatively rare and priced accordingly. Similarly, for the more adventurous, a yellow diamond, a color favored by many women signifies a man who is not afraid to express himself.
In the ‘80s it was the music icons who started the trend that leads us to where we are today. In the second decade of the 21st century it is music icons such P Diddy and JayZ who have taken the baton and are using fancy color diamonds to assert their masculinity.
Guest post by: Jonathan Peterson
