It is truly remarkable how far we have come. However, we still have far to go, but at least some amazing first few steps have been taken. So, of course there has been much talk about businesses gearing their ads and advertising dollars towards the LBGT and unisex consumer markets. One could question treating this group as if this is a new consumer market. New? Hardly, we all know that the gay community has been a viable jewelry consumer group for some time now.

You could also make the argument that our culture is simply becoming more tolerant and therefore making it easier to advertise directly to the LGBT community. Not only is the taboo of promoting products directly to the gay community melting away, but the ever present ‘Millennial’ market makes all things gay, LBGT, unisex, gender-neutral, etc. super cool and acceptable!

The fashion lines that once ruled as law, such as never wearing brown shoes with a grey suit, have been erased, and replaced with whatever simply works for you. In a recent article on NPR.com author Lidia Jean Kott writes “They [millennials] are challenging the idea that men must dress a certain way, and women another. And they are rewriting the rules and refashioning clothes so that they can dress and accessorize in whatever way feels right to them”.

We should certainly thank the millennials and the LGBT communities for releasing us all from our traditional fashion confines. We are all much freer to express ourselves and our style without the expectation of criticism and reproach. One of the newer key buzzwords in the fashion world is unisex. Unisex referring to something designed to be suitable for both sexes. In terms of the modern use of the word, unisex is yet another term that has become more prevalent, popular and acceptable. It should also be noted, that a piece of jewelry, for instance, may simply not be either feminine or masculine. And who is to make this determination? That question makes the all-encompassing point about what or who is to be considered masculine or feminine.

 In recent years, the lines have definitely been blurred, rejected and even removed in terms of jewelry and accessories that are considered appropriate for each gender. Fashion has become more about the individual than the general gender groupings. Even though the fashion gender lines have been blurry for years on the runway, the individual's personal preferences now take precedence over even the mundane authoritarian fashion recommendations. Some clothing, accessory and jewelry lines have had unisex styles for some time. We have been proud to offer Mason-Kay jade designs for many years that appeal to all.

Jade is easily the only fine gemstone that has the most variety of colors, carving possibilities and design options.  Many of our jade jewelry styles would be considered unisex. In fact, I challenge anyone to find more pieces in a jewelry collection that could be deemed unisex.  We have hundreds and hundreds of unique and original jade styles from our estate jade collection, to our Mason-Kay jade classics and to more modern, contemporary designer pieces by Kristina, that are appealing to anyone and everyone. In the top left of this post is one of those pieces that could not be more symbolic of a unisex piece of jewelry - the green jadeite jade pendulum pendant - which has been a huge hit and is certainly desirable to all.

The following fourteen designs have been selected as just a few examples of pieces from our jade jewelry collection that work for all!

Style #343993 Carved green jadeite jade bead on adjustable black silk cord necklace	Style #344051 Carved yellow jadeite jade 'shou' symbol (longevity) on adjustable black silk cord necklace
Style #344099 Carved light, translucent, green jadeite jade dragon pendant set in 18K yellow gold	Style #344105 Carved light, translucent, green jadeite jade pendant set in 18K yellow gold
Style #344426 Carved red jadeite jade 'Double Happiness' design pendant	Style #344341 Translucent yellow jadeite pear shape pendant
Style #305861 Green jadeite jade 'pi' disc pendant	Style #342958 Carved red & light green jadeite jade disc pendant
Style #343658 Arched green jadeite jade tablet ring set in 18K yellow gold	Style #343900 Cocktail size red jadeite jade oval cabochon ring set in 18K yellow gold with satin finish
Style #344129 Green jadeite jade circle necklace set with 14K yellow gold chain	Style #340572 Green jadeite jade circle on adjustable black silk cord necklace
Style #340916 Solid, continuous black nephrite jade bangle bracelet	Style #326408 Solid, continuous grey jadeite jade bangle bracelet