By James Cockington
Sewn buttons for shirts are a relatively modern invention. Cufflinks and metal studs date back to the 1600s, when men and women wore them to fasten their clothing. Today cufflinks are still keenly collected and worn by individuals who see them as a symbol of style. They are especially popular with the legal fraternity.
Cufflinks, along with bespoke ties, are one of the few ways for those in this outwardly conservative arena to express their personalities. Observe a barrister's cufflinks and you may gain a sneak preview of his or her hidden obsession. Poking out of the pinstripe suit may be a pair of chunky gold links worthy of Wayne Newton at Las Vegas, 1974.
As in the 17th century, women have also rediscovered the joys of the cufflink. There are relatively few female collectors but most like to wear their favourites with a tailored French cuff shirt and a business suit. The elegant art deco designs are a favourite with women but the Vegas style is also popular. Singer k.d. lang is partly to blame for the revival of the cufflink cult.
For those who collect, the golden period usually ends at the 1970s. Cufflinks are still being made today, mainly in China, but most are copies of previous styles without the quality of the originals.
The age of a pair of cufflinks is easily identified by the technology involved. Chain links usually indicate that the cufflinks are very old, probably pre-1915. The snap link was the most common method of fastening from 1915 to 1935 and is most often associated with art deco designs. The twist-post, still the current method, came into prominence after the Second World War. A unique spring method was also used along with a variety of clip-on designs.
Size, design and materials also help date the item.
Pewter, silver and rose gold are indicative of the Victoria era. Deco designs dominated the 1920s and '30s. Rhinestones were especially popular in the '50s. The '60s saw sleek, discrete styling, often with enamel inserts, while the '70s saw the emergence of large, chunky cufflinks that are keenly collected today, if only because of their extravagance.
Tiger's eye stone and mother-of-pearl were two popular materials in this period, usually set in a solid lump of gold. This was the decade of shameless flamboyance. Think Telly Savalas playing blackjack at The Tropicana.
Novelty cufflinks are among the most desirable.
The Holy Grail for many collectors is a pair of The Four Vices, a popular theme of the early Edwardian period. Wine, women and gambling (cards and horses) are the vices depicted with Monopoly-style tokens. These were usually handmade by jewellers and a hallmarked pair in sterling silver can easily fetch $1500 today.
Other novelties of note include minature pillboxes and insects (scorpions, spiders, scarab beetles) encased in Lucite. Some were made here, using plastic, featuring redback spiders. The appeal of cufflinks is that there is no limit to their design, from tasteful simplicity to outrageous tackiness. Strangely, few cufflinks are credited with the manufacturer's name, unless you're lucky enough to find one in its original packaging.
Value is usually determined by the age, design and prevalence of precious metals or stones.
One name to look out for is Belias, a jeweller from the late 19th century who made some magnificent cufflinks, usually out of white gold. Anything that can be sourced to him is worth $400 or more. Some platinum pieces have sold for $600 but the majority of vintage cufflinks are relatively cheap, with a wide range available in the $50 to $100 category.
The majority of rare and unique varieties, in good condition, are priced at about $150 to $350.
Most serious collectors display them on the wall or place them in glass cabinets, usually specially made for this purpose. A couple of Australian collectors are known to have a few thousand pairs while one Englishman has seven or eight thousand kept in a special cufflink room in his house.
My collection
Tammy Palmer, a "self-confessed corporate dropout" featured in this column last year, was then portrayed as a collector and dealer in vintage watches. This is still the core of the Vintage Times business she runs from the Sydney Antique Centre, but it's obvious from her display cabinets that she is seriously into cufflinks.
As she says, "I reckon there are more cufflink collectors out there than watch collectors". She has a few hundred examples in her shop, covering most of the last century, and a few thousand more at home. Samples can be seen at www.vintagetimes.com.au.
She's noticed that many of her customers are women, wanting to buy a special vintage pair as a present for their man.
"I think women like to see men wearing them," she says.
Palmer likes to wear them herself (see photo), although she says it's a challenge to find a tailored shirt that can accommodate them.