What are cufflinks?
Good question!
Cufflinks have been around since the 1600’s and have gone through an evolutionary period like most things. It was in the middle of the 19th century that the modern cufflink became popular and it has continued to evolve in its design. Initially, the cufflink was worn by the social elite and was much more formal in style and design. Over the years, this has changed to the cufflink being worn by the average joe as a piece of jewelry or ornament to enhance their overall look.
The basics of a cufflink are that they are used to secure the cuffs of your shirt sleeves together. Traditionally, it was always double cuffed or French cuffed shirts that cufflinks were used on. A double cuff (french cuff) is exactly as it sounds… a cuff that is folded over so it is doubled. The cufflink is then fed through all four layers of material to create a more rigid stand out cuff. You can now wear cufflinks with a normal cuff (single layer), you just need the cuff to have two button holes instead of one button hole and a button.
A cufflink can be either two cufflink faces connected by a chain or rigid post or is a single cufflink face with a short post and swivel footer that moves to help with the insertion of the cufflink into the shirt cuff.
Cufflink bodies and footers can be made from a variety of materials however the most common material is brass which is then plated in hard wearing outer material. This gives you a strong and sturdy cufflink. You can get cufflinks which are completely fabric. These fabric cufflinks tend to be knots and come in a variety of colours.
Cufflink Styles
There are two main styles of cufflink available. The classic/traditional styled cufflink or the novelty style cufflinks. The classic cufflink is more traditional in style in that it tends to be a simple shape, finished in either a glossy enamel or with stones or gems. The traditional cufflink can be favoured for weddings and more formal events like business meetings. The novelty cufflink allows the wearer to show a little of their personality on their cuff. Novelty cufflinks can be anything from a sports club cufflinks, to a working watch cufflink, to a hard hat cufflink. Novelty cufflinks come in all shapes and sizes and can be absolutely anything. It’s a way for a person to express themselves with a small adornment. Sometimes it’s the little details that really pack a punch!
Now you know the basics of what a cufflink is, make sure to shop our classic cufflinks and novelty cufflink ranges and become a cufflink wearer yourself!!