Move over, men! The women have arrived. And if you think you have a monopoly on certain types of fashion accessories, well, think again. Even those accessories that were once considered “masculine” are being adopted by women in a big way, and these ladies are giving them a whole new flair. You're never going to look at a cufflink the same way again.

Considering the long history of cufflinks, it's not surprising that most of us still think of them mainly as men's fashion accessories. That's pretty much how they started, after all. You saw them on the shirt cuffs of powerful bankers, government officials, and businessmen all dressed in black suits with white shirts. And those elegant men in Hollywood movies, wearing the same accessories, perpetuated the image of the man and his cufflinks. In fact, the only things that really distinguished one man's attire from any other man's, for several decades, were indeed his cufflinks, along with his tie pin, and maybe the color of his tie, if he was feeling daring.

Cufflinks dwindled in popularity after the 1960s, but they've been coming back with a vengeance in recent years. And while it's still men who are leading the charge, there are a surprising number of women adopting these fashion accessories as well. And the funny thing is, even women in cufflinks have a bit of a history. Think of actresses Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietrich in the early days of Hollywood, wearing shirts and stylish cufflinks.

That seems to be the look that many women are trying to recapture. There's something about a woman in a suit jacket with a plain white shirt and cufflinks that combines the ideas of “business” and “style” in a very powerful way. Yet women aren't just settling for the traditional gold or silver cufflinks of yore. These fashion accessories are now being given some real feminine flair, whether they've got jewels encrusted in them, or are enamelled with bright, colorful designs.

Some men may feel it's a bit of a shame that women seem to be “taking over” one of the few accessories that appeared to belong exclusively to the men. But maybe you should admit a little secret, gentlemen. Women are helping to bring this fashion jewellery back to life. And maybe they're giving you a push to become just a bit more daring with your own fashion accessories.