about what's cufflink, cufflinks fashion accessory, sterling silver and how to removing tarnish corrosion.

what's cufflink?

A cuff link, cufflink or cuff-link is a decorative fastener used to fasten or link the two portions of a french cuff, typically on a shirt or blouse. Cuff links are predominately worn by men. These fasteners may be of very simple design, consisting of a post — a short cylindrical portion — connecting two disc-shaped parts, one of which is sized to fit through the button-hole of the cuff, the other, which is positioned on the most visible side of, is wider. The visible part of the cufflink is often monogrammed or decorated in some way.

Cuff link designs vary widely, as do many fashion accessories. An almost unlimited variety of designs and construction details may appear on a cuff link. For example, the 'hidden' side of a cuff link may be have a portion which swivels on the central post, aligning with the post while the link is threaded through the button-hole, and swiveling into a position at right angles to the post when worn.

French cuff

A French cuff or double cuff is a cuff on a dress shirt which is folded back and then closed with cuff links or silk knots, instead of buttons. Cuff links and silk knots exist solely for shirts with French cuffs.

French cuffs are considered to be more formal than button cuffs. Although more formal, French cuffs are optional and a matter of preference. If a standard suit (as opposed to a tuxedo) is formal enough for an occasion, then so are button cuffs. For an job interview in a business enviroment, shirts with button cuffs are generally prefered to those with French cuffs.

Alternatively, instead of cuff links, French cuffs can also be closed with the much less expensive, but just as formal and well-regarded, silk knots, sometimes called monkey's fists. Silk knots tend to be better known in Europe than in the United States.

Silk knot

An alternative fastener to a cuff link is the cheaper silk knot, which is also known as monkey's fists. This object is far better-known in Europe than North America and, despite the lower cost than cuff links, is just as well regarded and just as formal. French cuff shirts are often accompanied with a set of color-coordinated silk knots instead of double-button cuff links.

Fashion accessory

Fashion accessories and their jewelry counterpart referred to as costume jewelry are items that used as fashion's complementary. Accessories help to bring up the spot that one wants to highlight in a dress or apparel. They can also help to hide some weaknesses' part of a dress. Trends are continuously set by adding accessories to different outfits.

Take belts for example, a few years ago girls all started wearing really thick belts that would never fit into belt loops, but this fashion accessory made it big time. Soon everyone was seen wearing them, today big is out, and maybe ribbon belts are in. But these things change an entire look, from handbags to shoes to chandelier earrings and beaded necklaces to 80's leg warmers.

Mother of Pearl/Blue Topaz (Style CH12/13T) Chain Cufflinks inlaid with Mother of Pearl, set with Blue Topaz. Available made to order only, in a choice of either white or yellow gold. Delivery is normally 3 to 6 weeks, if a faster delivery is required please contact us & we will do our best to meet your requirements.
Mother of Pearl /Diamond (Style SW38/10/44D/S2) Swivel Cufflinks inlaid with Mother of Pearl outer, Onyx inner, the centre is set with a Diamond. Available made to order only in a choice of either white or yellow gold. Delivery is normally 3 to 6 weeks, if a faster delivery is required please contact us & we will do our best to meet your requirements.
Mother of Pearl/Blue Topaz (Style DS/11/T) Set of Four Dress Studs, Mother of Pearl set with Blue Topaz. Available made to order only, in a choice of either white or yellow gold. Delivery is normally 3 to 6 weeks, if a faster delivery is required please contact us & we will do our best to meet your requirements.

	Sterling Silver and Stainless Steel Cufflinks This brightly polished rectangular cufflinks of sterling silver and stainless steel add refinement to a dark suit, classically styled and comfortable to wear. The cuff links measures 12.75 miliimeters in width and 19.5 millimeters in length.
	Stainless Steel and Sterling Silver Cufflinks This satin polished rectangular cufflinks of sterling silver and stainless steel add refinement to a dark suit, classically styled and comfortable to wear. The cuff links measures 9 millimeters in width and 16 millimeters in length.
	Sterling Silver Tic-Tac-Toe’s Cufflinks Tic-tac-toe’s X’s and O’s are playful jewelry design inspirations for these men’s sterling silver cufflinks. A high polish to these quality cufflinks gives a playful design serious fashion appeal for the fashion-conscious man.
	Sterling Silver Santa Fe Enamel Cufflinks and Stud Set A complete set featuring a pair of cuff links and four shirt studs. The set has a white background with a black Southwestern design sun in black. For comfortable wear, the cufflinks are designed with two hinges, one at the fastening and another next to the cuff link's face. The shirts studs have a button back. Each is handcrafted in sterling silver and made in England. The enamel is hand-applied in a complex process: first glass powder is meticulously put into place and then each cuff link is fired four times to create the luminous color and intricate design. This set is created to be worn with a tuxedo or the cuff links can also be used alone with a black suit. This would be a good selection as a groom's gift to his groomsmen...{top}

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Sterling silver

Sterling silver is at least 92.5% silver and up to 7.5% other metals, usually copper, and is stamped with either the word "Sterling" or ".925", or the Lion Passant mark as part of the Hallmark. Fine silver (99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing large functional objects. Compare with CuAg, which is a brand for a similar alloy, (72% silver, 28% copper) known for its thermal conductivity.

The term "Sterling Silver", in reference to the .925 grade of silver, emerged in England by the 13th century.

The terms "sterling" and "pound sterling", seem to have acquired their meaning over a period of time, and from several convergent sources. The first mention is that of "sterilensis" in 1078, and by the thirteenth century (by the 1200's) the term sterling had appeared.

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"Easterling" Theory

It seems quite possible that Sterling Silver may have been known first as "Easterling Silver". The term "Easterling Silver" was used to refer to the grade of silver that had originally been used as the local currency in an area of Germany, known as "The Easterling".

This "Easterling" consisted of five towns in the eastern part of Germany which banded together in the 12th century under the name of the Hanseatic League. The Hanseatic League proceeded to engage in considerable commerce with England. In payment for English cattle and grain, the League used their local currency. This currency was in the form of 92.5% silver coins. England soon learned that these coins, which they referred to as "the coins of the Easterlings", were of a reliably high quality and hardness.

King Henry II set about to adopt the alloy as the standard for English currency. He imported metal refiners from the Easterling and put them to work making silver coins for England. The silver these refiners produced came into usage as currency by 1158 in the form of what are now known as "Tealby Pennies", and was eventually adopted as a standard alloy throughout England. The original term of "Easterling Silver" was later abbreviated to "Sterling Silver".

Though the coin weights and silver purity changed considerably in the intervening time (reaching a low point before the reign of Elizabeth I, who reinstated Sterling Silver coinage for the first time since the early 14th century), the pound sterling was used as currency in England from the 12th century until the middle of the 20th century. Specifically this was in the silver coins of the British Empire -- Britain, British colonies and some former British colonies. This sterling coin silver is not to be confused with the Coin silver standard.

Sterling silver, while no longer used in circulating currency anywhere in the world, is still used for flatware, jewellery and plate, and is a grade of silver respected for both relatively high purity and sufficient hardness to form durable objects in daily use.

Another credible theory is that, since mint marks on Sterling Silver pennies have included a star and a starling, this may be the origin of the word -- as a simple corruption of, for example, "starling silver" with common reference to the circulating coin.

Corrosion

As the purity of the silver increases, the problem of corrosion or tarnishing lessens.

Chemically, silver is not very active it does not react with oxygen or water at ordinary temperatures, so does not easily form a silver oxide. However, the other metal in the alloy, usually copper, may react with oxygen in the air.

Silver tarnish, however, is the formation of black silver sulfide on the surface of the metal. This tarnish is caused by sulfur and sulfides which attack the surface of the silver. Because of this, the rate of discolouration of silver by tarnish is worse with higher levels of these airborne pollutants.

Eggs, which contain a considerable quantity of sulfur as a constituent of protein, tarnish silver extremely quickly. Small amounts of sulfide occur in the atmosphere naturally, but another major man-made source is hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which is added to natural gas used domestically. Hence a gas flame can also tarnish silver.

The black silver sulfide (Ag2S) is among the most insoluble salts in aqueous solution, a property that is exploited for separating silver ions from other positive ions.

Removing tarnish

A very popular technique for removing tarnish involves the creation of an electrochemical cell. If the other metal is anodic relative to silver, then the silver in the sulfide will revert to metallic silver. The metal at the anode will be oxidized. The sulfide ions can travel to the anode via the electrolyte (solution). Metals that will work are iron, zinc, aluminium and magnesium. Aluminium foil is cheap.

A typical procedure is to line a pyrex glass dish with alumimium foil so the bright side of the foil will contact the solution. Add one litre of water, and heat until near boiling.

Add one tablespoon of sodium chloride and one tablespoon of sodium bicarbonate, and gently stir to dissolve. Ensure that the silverware has been washed in warm dishwashing detergents, and well rinsed in warm water to remove dirt and grease.

Carefully add the silverware to the dish, ensuring that each item is in contact with the aluminium foil, and boil until the tarnish has disappeared, turning the silverware if necessary. The continuous boiling is required so that the aluminium oxide continually exposes the unreacted aluminium surface beneath, otherwise the reaction will not occur. The aluminium will gradually be converted to aluminium oxide. The hydrogen that is generated in the reaction will combine with the sulfide ions to produce some hydrogen sulfide gas (rotten egg gas).

It should be noted that the process is not converting the silver back to the original hard, lustrous surface, but into a soft, white powder that can be removed easily by rubbing with a little bicarbonate of soda paste. The silver powder will be easier to remove than the tarnish would have been.

Please chick here get more cuff links and sterling silver info. {Top}

Cuff-link hinge pins

Cuff-links can work well as a plain three-part hinge. There are some basics to the construction of cuff-links. The cuff-link consists of three parts: the front decorative part you see in use (remember that if there is a pattern to them, they should normally be a mirror image of each other-there is a right and a left; I had a bad experience once when I first made a cuff-link and this is now etched in my mind), the vertical shaft that goes through the cuff-link holes in the shirt sleeves, and the back part which must swivel so that it folds flat against the vertical shaft during insertion through the sleeve, and then folds back to a "T" to lock the cuff-link in place. In a plain hinged cuff-link back you need to angle the vertical shaft so that the shirt sleeve springing outwards keeps the back part in place and prevents accidental loss of the cuff-link.

Note that you should groove the swiveling back somewhat to inset the hinge so as to have a stronger join, and to allow the back plate to fold flat against the side of the upright sheet. It is important that the groove is even and runs at a true right angle across the swiveling back plate (unless you want it at a different angle for design reasons).

While one can have a perfectly functional cuff-link using an ordinary three-part hinge, it is pleasant with a cuff-link if there's a certain "snap" to the back part that retains the cuff-link in place in the sleeve. A slight "locking" of this part helps keep the cuff-link in place and means that you don't need the angle to the vertical part as you do with the plain hinged cuff-link back just described. There are various ways of obtaining this "snap." I recommend purchasing cuff-links at flea markets and garage sales-you can usually find orphaned ones, and they're quite cheap-and having a look at the backs. There are literally dozens of variations in how this "snap" is produced.

In the following generic description, we have a tube, and inside this tube are two strips of springy material which are locked in place at each end of the tube. They can be spread apart at the center. The hinge pin that is riveted in place in the upright struts of the cuff-link back is made out of square wire. The square hinge pin is inserted through the uprights and the tube, which pushes apart the two springy strips inside it, and the hinge pin is then riveted into the outer struts of the cuff-link back finding. Because we have these two springy strips around the square hinge pin inside the tube, the tube will "snap" to two positions at ninety degrees to each other. Usually the ends of such a tube are rounded. No heat can be used in the assembly procedure so as not to temper or anneal the springy material used for the strips. There are a numerous variations of cuff-link backs around; most of them snap into ninety degree positions.

Another version, which is a relative of the "ball hinge" that is described elsewhere in the Hinges book, has a solid, thick, swiveling, wire cuff-link back. It has a square, slightly tapered dent on each side, usually punched in with a strong blow with a suitable square-ended punch. The indentations should be about 1 mm or more deep. The outer arms attached to the cuff-link need to be very rigid and strong. At their top ends are square protrusions which can be made by stamping or soldering a square wire through the upright and filing to a slightly tapered block on the insides of the arms. The swiveling back snaps into place at ninety degree positions. This version requires very stiff, rigid uprights on each side of the cuff-link back because it is their flexing and inwards pressure that provides the snap-and they should be designed to last, not to get weak and lose their snap with time. Material choice, cross-section and thickness all play a role in increased structural strength. If the tension on the back is strong enough it is really hard to remove the swiveling back.

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new cufflink

Frank Lloyd Wright Thomas House

These Frank Lloyd Wright cufflinks feature an abstract petal design, which has been adapted from
the vestibule light fixture of the Frank Thomas House. (Oak Park, IL 1901) Wright described
this art glass pattern as "opening flower-like to the sky." Created from four shades of enamel,
each set is sterling silver plated, and packaged in a unique signature Frank Lloyd Wright gift box.

Frank Lloyd Wright Brick Design

Frank Lloyd Wright created this modern brick design in 1927 to compliment structures he designed
during the same time period. Created from two shades of enamel with a sterling silver plated backing.
Gift boxed with historical information card.

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Eames Modern Dots

Charles and Ray Eames (the Eames chair) are ranked among the finest American designers of
the twentieth century. They are best known for their ground-breaking contributions to architecture,
furniture design, industrial design and photographic arts. A conservative, yet modern
Eames pattern is reflected here in sterling silver plate with hand set black enamel.
Gift boxed with historical information card.

Enamel Polka Dots

Fun, contemporary cufflinks with random hand enameled dots on all sides!
Heavy sterling and rhodium plated cufflink with white, black, pink and blue dots.
Approximately 7/8 x 1/4". Packaged in a beautiful faux black ostrich leather presentation case.

Blue Line Triangle

David Donahue Metro Contemporaries
Solid sterling silver with dark blue, light blue and sage green enamel line triangles.
Approximately 3/4 x 1/2". Packaged in a David Donahue Metro Collection gift box.

Victorian Silver & Black Enamel Relief

These double sided cufflinks feature a delicate Victorian pattern on a black enamel
background. Coupled with a unique snap closure with the same design on both sides,
they're sure to become your favorite pair as they look great with just about everything!
Sterling silver plated. Packaged in a beautiful faux black ostrich leather presentation case.

Squeezed Squares in Black Nickel

Solid steel cufflinks with a pinch in the middle. Highly polished black
nickel finish with a unique brushed steel square inset.
Aprox 3/4" x 1/2" Packaged in a Geoffrey Beene signature wooden gift box.

Aztec Enamel Maze on Sterling

Solid sterling silver cufflinks with a handset black enamel maze pattern.
Conservative, but a little different too! From the Varga Studios collection.
Individually hallmarked. Gift boxed. Aprox. 1/2" square.

Onyx & Pearl Checkerboard Mosaic

Laser cut onyx and pearl checkerboard pattern on a unique silver tension mount.
Sterling silver plated backing. Packaged in an Italian leather gift box.

Domed Weave

An artful 17th century design that recreates the look of a wrought iron into a smaller cufflink size.
Sterling silver plated frame. Packaged in an Italian leather gift box.

St. James in Gold

Probably the most classic cuff link style of all, these look great on their own, or the face is perfect for engraving initials for a more personal gift. 24kt gold or silver plated. Gift boxed...{top}

No machine can replicate the beauty of hand engraved cufflinks.
We start with the finest designer sterling silver cufflinks, which are then hand engraved by skilled artisans
in Avignon, France. The process dates back to the 17th century... and can take up to four hours to complete.
What makes the process so tedious is that no power tools are used. Instead, artists must use only hand
tools, brute force, and decades of engraving experience to complete each design. The result
is a blend of old world craftsmanship, and an astounding pair of cufflinks made especially for you!

Choose a set of cufflinks

Please note that personalized items must be ordered by phone to ensure order accuracy. (See Step 5)
All sets shown below are solid sterling silver by David Donahue NY, except for set three
which is by Helios Sterling, London. Set four has a 14kt gold rope border.
NEW! Style one is available in Vermeil, (24kt gold on sterling silver) for a beautiful two tone effect!
All sets are packaged in an Italian leather gift box.

Do you prefer initials or a monogram?

Monograms have a larger MIDDLE initial, but the middle initial is taken from the LAST name. (Example: If your name was John Henry Doe, your monogram would appear as JDH) Please note that ROUND cufflinks work best with monograms.

Initials are engraved in order, and are of the same height. (Example: If your name was John Henry Doe, your initials would appear as JHD) Please note that OVAL cufflinks work best with initials.

Choose a typestyle.

Specify the typestyle you would like. Because the entire process is completed by hand, each letter is unique, and will vary slightly in design and overall shape depending the letters provided. Periods after initial styles? It's a personal preference... We can place them at the bottom or middle, your choice.

Would you like your cufflinks engraved with a special message or date?

You can have one (or both) cufflinks engraved with a special message, date, or both. Because of the small letter size, no font choice is available. Approximately 26 characters (including spaces) will fit on the back of each cufflink. Your special message is then wrapped around the radius on the back for a beautiful presentation! Because of their shape, oval cufflinks can fit approximately 12-14 characters each, and words will appear in a straight line across the back.

Price your set.

1. Each style shown above is $95.00 except for style four, which is $175.00 and style one in Vermeil, which is $145.00

2. Hand engraving for all monogram and initial styles is $65.00 per pair. No discounts or promotions apply for engraving services.

3. If you wish, we can engrave the reverse with your special message or date. ($20.00 per link.) Matching script on both cufflinks is not necessary, unless you wish to have a date on one, and a message on the other...{top}

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