Cufflinks are jewelry used to fasten the two portions of a French cuff on a dress shirt.
Part of the cufflink is sized to fit through the button-hole part of the cuff. The other part is larger and is seen on the visible side of the cuff. Both parts are linked together by a chain or a solid bar.
Cufflinks can be made of any material, from stone, bone, glass, plastic, gemstone, cloth or precious metal.
Cufflinks date back to the 18th century.
The first mention of them was 1788.  In the 19th century with the invention of the steam driven stamping machine, mass produced cuffflinks were available to a many and the trend became fashion.
In 1840 the French cuff was very popular and unlike many trends, remains popular today.
A lock of hair of a lost loved one was traditionally placed under glass on a man's cufflinks as a sign of grief.
During the 1880's in America, George Krementz patented a device based on a
civil war cartridge shell-making machine that could mass produce one-piece
collar buttons and cufflinks. Soon many US business were commissioning
cufflinks for advertising and gift incentives for clients.
During the 1960's cufflinks became very popular and a company called Swank began making large gaudy cufflinks and was grossing $12 million a year.
Cufflinks are coming back into fashion and the French cuff is as popular as ever.
Many cufflinks are very collectible especially those made of precious metals, ones made of celluloid or bakelite and handcrafted one of a kinds.
The most expensive cufflinks ever sold were a pair given to the soon-to-be
King Edward VIII by his later wife Wallis Simpson. These featured diamonds
set in platinum and sold at auction for $440,000.

(C) Judith Barnes 2007