the huge variety of closures produced over the years," Klompus says. "Going back to the Victorian period, say 1860 to 1950, I've personally tracked at least 300 different closure devices, including tweaks on common mechanisms." Cuff buttons were usually joined by links, tiny chains, or bars, while one-sided cufflinks were anchored with swiveling toggles or the curved barbell design. But postwar designers were particularly inventive. Sculptor Alexander Calder made gold spirals that were a single solid piece, and Phillip Fike created indented cylinders of wood and gold.
There's been a longstanding division between European and American preference in cufflink styles, says Klompus. Europeans prefer double-sided links, with two matching faces joined by a chain. "With double-sided, you see the beauty of the cufflink from either side of the cuff," he notes. "Americans acknowledge that from an aesthetic standpoint, double-sided is superior, but the preference here is for the familiar toggle that rotates inside the shank."
While traveling in Europe recently, however, Klompus noticed more department stores and jewelers carrying toggle styles. "It also seems that more Americans are interested in double-sided," he notes. "Eventually, the global marketplace will probably offer cufflinks in both styles." Klompus says double-sided cufflinks are not that difficult to maneuver. "As every European knows, the secret to wearing double-sided cufflinks is to put them on before putting on the shirt ," he says. "Then you cup the hand and slide it through the sleeve." Cuffs and hands, of course, have to be the right size to accommodate this age-old maneuver.
We have come to the end of this series of articles and hope you have enjoyed and learned as much as you can on cufflinks.
I have prepared another article "22 Ways to Find Your Matching Single Cufflinks" rediscover your single cufflinks again. Cheers! Talk to you tomorrow morning!
To be continue ... watch for next posting.
Cathleen McCarthy, a Philadelphia freelance writer, specializes in articles about jewelry design, collectibles, retailing, and travel.
