Unisex bracelets break the rules

by Rachel Pugh
Weekender General Manager
Times Leader Director of Community Relations

Mixing and matching bracelets is nothing new, and genders have been crossed by men sneaking women’s accessories for years. But tiptoeing around jewelry boxes can be stopped. A simple selection in the unisex department takes the guilty pleasure out of jewelry borrowing and steers attention away from gender, concentrating on the real subject at hand: the accessory.

Unisex jewelry is abundant by the bushel nowadays, so variety no longer has to be an issue. Stainless steel knows no boundaries, and leather can make its way onto male or female wrists everywhere. In the past, men’s accessories have tended to be a lot larger than women’s. In many traditional retailers, obvious differences are apparent between men’s and women’s bracelets. But in a lot of modern boutiques, a trendy bracelet is a trendy bracelet, and the person to wear it is the person who grabs it first, regardless of sex.

If you’re still having difficulty deciphering whether or not something is unisex, here’s a simple test. If it isn’t obvious what gender it is for, it automatically becomes unisex. Typically, if the consumer can’t tell, neither can anyone else. Now, the accessory can be purchased based off aesthetics alone. This is shopping utopia. To be able to buy something not because it is nice for a guy or nice for a girl but rather because it simply is just nice is bliss! This also makes shopping that much more fun, discontinuing all the hang-ups.

The search can begin at independently owned boutiques or online. Starting with leather is usually the way to go, as leather is a material that can result in a neutral design if not a lot of frill is added. For example, Section 9 Gear, aka Jewellery, Gabriela Hughes, Manuel Bozzi, Greenloop and Emitations can all be seen here and online. Some are designers that can purchased through other retail online stores and others are independent designers. Regardless of how they sell their merchandise, one thing remains constant — they offer accessories that can be worn by all. This makes their items perfect gift options, because anything chosen will be most likely be a safe buy.

Bracelets are the easiest when trying to find gender-neutral accessories. Unless stud earrings are purchased, pretty much any other earring choice screams feminine attributes, and necklaces usually sway one way or the other as well. Long, plain necklace strands can often work their way into any gender’s armoire, but not a lot of guys can pull off this look — unless, of course, you’re Johnny Depp. In that case, you can wear anything you want, and it will look good. Best to stick with the bracelets and the chunkier bracelets at that. They simply mask gender qualifications a little better.

Wrist size will always be an issue, as men of course traditionally have larger wrists. Fortunately, bracelets, especially leather bracelets, usually have snaps at different positions on the leather band, giving the option of snapping tighter or looser depending upon wrist circumference. And if it’s a chain-link bracelet, there are usually even more length options, giving the ability to link the chain as tight or as loose as desired.

Happy shopping for unisex jewelry. Mask the gender markers, and get back to the root of the joy of shopping: the purchase.

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