How Cufflinks Came About ?

By Mary Michaels.

The 17th century witnessed the dawn of cuff links as an official symbol of fashion, social prestige and luxury. Everyone in the western world was fastening their shirtsleeves with ribbon or ordinary strings that time. The first few pieces of cuff links were made as fairly simple buttons, linked together by a small chain, and they were made of glass. A century hence, a new jewelry material was introduced-glass paste which was often used to form little gems.

Still another century and cufflinks became a part and parcel of men's accessory. New production techniques were also introduced. Electroplating and electro-metallurgy permitted more freedom for elaborate designs in gold and silver. These techniques also provided for the mass production of cufflinks making it available to the masses. Cufflinks were before accessories of affluent persons but the 19th century made cufflinks accessible to the steadily increasing bourgeoisie. Cheaper materials like metal alloys and imitation jewelries were used to create cheaper cufflinks. During the 1860s, famous jewelers like Child & Child in London and Krementz & Company in New York have modified their practice and targeted the masses and middle class as their cufflinks market. They sold each pair in a price that was just right for anyone to afford.

The French cuff, or the double cuff, shirt became stylish dresses for men in 1840s. This trend produced a higher demand for cufflinks. By 1887 Tiffany, Cartier and Faberge-all famous jewelry designers of that era-spontaneously invested on this trend and started designing different cufflinks designs to suit different occasions and mood. Different materials were used. Gold, mother of pearl, enamel, mosaics and other precious stones were utilized. These prestigious jewelers were then creating works of art that can be worn by men. Since then, shirts that were produced included slits and button holes which provided function and not just accessory to cufflinks.

Also during the 1920s, the Boyer company introduced the first rolling button, or the rod-type cufflink system. This type of cufflink is still being used today. They also mass produced tiepins and art inspired cufflinks made of enamel which took the male accessory a step further. And then another bigger step for cufflinks was made when women started wearing them during the early years of the 20th century. The freedom and vitality that was afforded to women allowed them to participate in the cufflinks industry, adorning their sleeves with fashion accessories which were previously acclimated to men.

A low point for the cufflink trade came during the beginning of the 20th century when shirt companies started mass producing shirts that already have buttons attached to their cuffs. This low point further challenged the cufflinks producers to create more elegant, classy and rare cufflinks. Cufflinks then started to take on a different image: a man who wears them is the quintessence of business and evening style. Van Cleef & Arpels started inventing designs-the channel setting-where stones are the primary designs but no metal support is visible. These, by far, are the most jeweled cufflinks that are still being produced up until today.

The rock and roll trend during the Beatles era inspired cufflinks that were made available in the market. Cartier exclusively produce heart shaped cufflinks, Bulgari perfected the diamond heart shaped cufflinks with blue enamel background, David Webb miniatured animal designs and Dinh Van incorporated a "zen" image into the industry. Every design that can be imagined was inscribed in cufflinks. The options were endless.

A Cufflink Museum in Conway, New Hampshire can be visited. It showcases the multihued history of cufflinks and boasts of 50,000 pairs of cufflinks from 212 countries all over the globe. It has been by far the most prominent cufflink museum in the world. Tourists, historians and cufflinks connoisseurs can follow in this museum the evolution of cufflinks over the centuries with the augmentation of technology, art, music and fashion.

For whatever purpose-showcasing individual style, imbibing elegance, or simply exhibiting your own personality-you can definitely find a cufflink that is a best match to fit your need. It is given: cufflinks are always, and always will be, the most indispensable wrist accessory for men that will embellish more sleeves for more generations to come.