Cufflinks

In his book The Suit, Antongiavanni states that aside from tie pins, “watches and cufflinks are the only other jewellery-like indulgence permitted to a gentleman”. Similarly, Roetzel writes in Gentleman “cuff links belong to the group of accessories whose impact is inversely proportional to their size, because although they are minute, and are often not even visible, they make a very big contribution to the overall look”. In other words, the cufflink represents an important sartorial supplement that tends to garner more interest than its size might otherwise dictate. To this end, below is a short summary of how the cufflink came about, and some of the key aspects of its design.

History
Cufflinks are said to predate the shirt, with evidence of their use being found in ancient hieroglyphics in King Tut's tomb. These were typically made of rope, ribbon or tape, and were used in varying forms up until the 18th Century. Cufflinks as we know them, however, were first used during the 1700s. The precise date is unknown; although the cufflink was first mentioned in writing in 1788, buttons had already ceased to be decorative, and shirts with true cufflink slits were in existence. They were often made hand made with gold or silver and set with gemstones, and thus were typically worn only by the rich.

It wasn't until the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th Century and early 19th Century that cufflinks were opened up to a wider audience. The invention of the steam-driven stamping machine, electro-metallurgy and other technological and chemical developments meant cufflinks could be mass-produced in various formats. Similarly, double cuffs had become popular, in turn driving the demand for cufflinks. These new retailers, unable to afford precious metals, demanded alternative mediums such as enamel, semi-precious stones and metals, as well as fakes.

During the 1880's, an America called George Krementz patented a device based on a civil war cartridge shell-making machine that could mass produce one-piece collar buttons and cufflinks. Later, during the 1920s, the enamel cufflink became the most prevalent style, and was further supported by the mobilation of the Faberge artisans from Russia as the communist revolution drove them to emigrate West. Later still, the 1930s saw the introduction of low-cost plastics. In the 20th century cufflink use peaked in the mid 1960s when “Swank Inc”, a popular manufacturer of the time, was making 12 million a year.

These days the cufflink’s extent of use varies from region to region. The British tend to use them regularly, due in part to their preference for long-sleeved shirts with French cuffs, but also as means to add some individuality to an otherwise traditionally conservative business look. The Italians, by contrast, prefer to reserve them for more formal occasions such as weddings, where the design can be significantly more fanciful. The Americans tend not to wear them at all, choosing instead the barrel cuff.

Design
In short, the cufflink itself a decorative fastener worn by men or women to fasten the two sides of the cuff on a dress shirt that has double, or French, cuffs. The link can be worn so that the ends of the cuff are either "kissing" (with the ends pinched together) or "barrel-style" (with one end overlapping the other), although the former is much more common.

Cufflinks themselves are made from a variety of materials, shapes and colours. Generally speaking, precious metals are often deemed to be the most formal option, followed by enamel and then plastic, subject of course to the designs and colours used.

The fastening mechanism design can vary widely. There are chains, swivels, bridges, elastic, snaps or screws. The former is certainly deemed to be the more traditional and formal, comprising a chain and two connecting two oval-shaped ends. Although traditional by all accounts, they can take a considerable amount of effort to put on. Swivels can take the form of “bullets” (a rotating cylinder with bevelled ends) or an elongated oval (flat metal bent into shape). The swivels turns on a central post, allowing the wearer to thread it through the cuffs, before twisting it back to secure it in place. Bridges are non-moving connectors, and are put on the cuff by simply threading the smaller of the ends through the buttonholes. Other versions include bridges combined with a swivel mechanism that closes around the outside of the shirt, as well as snaps and screws.

The part positioned on the most visible side, is usually larger and can be decorated in many ways: traditional cufflinks (such as gold or stripes with out without a monogram), contemporary cufflinks (often minimalistic in design and using modern materials), novelty cufflinks (that might assume an allegiance with a particular sport or hobby) and humorous cufflinks (often depicting funny messages or images). Like most garments, some are appropriate for business wear and others are not; as Fink writes in The Man's Book "there is a fine line between the smart and the naff, and the inexperienced are best advised to stick to the plainest designs".

An alternative type of cufflink is the “silk knot”, also known as a “monkey's fist” (although, technically speaking, the knot is a turk's head, not a monkey's fist). This is basically an intricately tied knot of elasticated silk. Better-known in Europe, the humble knot is actually just as well regarded as its more expensive peers. Indeed, as a substantially cheaper alternative they are an inexpensive way of experimenting with different colours and bolstering a cufflink collection.

Some of the popular brands of cufflink include Ian Flaherty, Sonia Spencer, Ravi Ratan, Murray Ward, Babette Wasserman, Duchamp, Dunhill, Simon Carter, Fiona Rae, Paul Smith and Tateossian and Tiffany. Leading retailers of cufflinks are John Lewis, KJ Beckett, House of Fraser, Selfridges, and Liberty of London, which all offer collections from some of the aforementioned cufflink designers.