Shirts with French cuffs—which are cuffs with two buttonholes instead of one buttonhole plus a button—are designed for cufflinks (or cuff links, as they are sometimes spelled). Some cufflinks feature straps that wrap around the outside edges of a shirt’s cuffs, but most cufflinks feature an embellished surface that is worn facing out, as well as a pivoting post that discreetly secures the decorative side of the cufflink to the cuff.
In the late 19th century, as Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts vied with Edwardian sensibilities for style supremacy, cufflinks were often made of 14-karat gold and set with everything from onyx to agates. Lion heads were popular designs, as were cufflinks made from Roman coins. At the turn of the 20th century, a manufacturer called Fenwick and Sailor made numerous styles of cufflinks that resembled charms on a charm bracelet.
By the 1920s and ’30s, enameling techniques common to other types of jewelry—from rings to bracelets to brooches—had found their way to cufflinks. South of the U.S. border, Mexican silversmiths in Taxco created cufflinks in the shapes of tropical birds and other animals. And at some point, Royal Copenhagen and Wedgwood got into the act, the former creating pillow-like porcelain cufflinks in the firm’s trademark blue, the latter producing cameo cufflinks out of Jasperware...
The functional design of these cufflinks was as varied as their decorations. Instead of a pivoting post, some so-called “dumbbell” or shank-style cufflinks would feature a backing piece that was just small enough to squeeze through the cuff’s buttonholes. Small lengths of slender chain were substituted for posts in some designs, while double-face cufflinks (also referred to as double-side or double-panel cufflinks) had no “good” or “bad” side since both faces were richly detailed.
Cufflinks achieved a cachet of cool after World War II, when the sophisticated man about town kept a collection of cufflinks on hand that rivaled his array of neckties. In the 1960s in particular, a company called Swank was making 12-million pair a year, most of them big and brassy as costume jewelry. Crown shapes were a popular Swank design, as were cufflinks that showed off large chunks of topaz, smoky quartz, and other semi-precious stones. Swank also made cufflinks for Masons and other fraternal orders, while Hugh Hefner sold his devotees square black cufflinks with a white bunny at their centers.
Interviews & Articles
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Abigail Rutherford on the History of Vintage Handbags and the Rise of Women's Rights

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Clubs & Associations: Fine Jewelry
- International Cuff Link Association
- American Society of Jewelry Historians
- Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts
- Society of Jewellery Historians
Other Great Reference Sites: Fine Jewelry
Top eBay Auctions
Recent News: Cufflinks
Source: Google News
Wholesale Fashion Supplies Added New Collection of Cufflinks to Its Product ...
PR Web (press release), May 15thWholesale Fashion Supplies, the name synonymous to stylish accessories has added new designs of cufflinks to its product catalogue. Cufflinks supplied by Wholesale Fashion Supplies are crafted by expert designers who have a keen sense of fashion and...Read more
Gatsby's cufflinks for $4800, anyone? Cannes goes bling
The Times (subscription), May 12thFrom The Bling Ring to Gatsby, fashion has taken over at Cannes. But where are the misery and subtitles? Here Kate Muir picks the highlights. At the Cannes Film Festival this year, Prada, Hermès, Louboutin, Tiffany and Chanel will not merely be making...Read more
You Can Now Buy Awesome Cufflinks With Bitcoin
Gizmodo Australia, May 8thInstead of buying some illegal internet weed, why not use those hard-earned Bitcoins to go and buy some geeky cufflinks from a local vendor? The store is called Cufflinked, and they have everything from cufflinks with mechanised gears, right through to...Read more
Where can I find the best WiFi? How about in your cuff links.
Cool Mom Tech, May 4thWhere can I find the best WiFi? How about in your cuff links. Just when I was wondering whether cufflinks were starting to disappear, I found these brilliant ones that are way more than just a style statement. Way. Wifi hotspot cufflinks on Cool Mom...Read more
Cufflinks Don't Have To Be So Stuffy - Chicago magazine
Chicagomag.com, May 1stWhen it comes to fashion, I'm not often a fan of things that include the word “novelty” in the description. To me, this conjures images of fake vomit and adult store unmentionables. But I make an exception when it comes to cufflinks. In the past, these...Read more
DispL.A. Case #62: Bugsy Siegel's Cufflinks
LA Magazine, April 29thLos Angeles was founded on September 4, 1781. Between now and the 232nd anniversary, we are gathering the stories behind iconic objects that help explain our city. Los Angeles is older than Chicago, Atlanta or Washington, D.C. In fact, when L.A.'s...Read more
Costa Cufflinks Is Offering a Special 20% Discount on All Orders Placed Before ...
SBWire (press release), April 23rdDalkeith, UK -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/23/2013 -- Costa Cufflinks is now offering stylish and designer cufflinks for men at a special discount of 20%, under their current promotional scheme. The sale will last until 30th June 2013, and all men can take...Read more
Cufflinks on Your Underwear? Why Not
Bloomberg, April 19thCufflinks on Your Underwear? May as Well. By James Tarmy - 2013-04-19T23:27:11Z. Photograph by Evan Sung/Bloomberg. You'd think it would take an aesthete, or an exhibitionist, to commission custom underwear. Why else would someone spend...Read more
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