Although the first cufflinks appeared in the 1600s, they did not become common until the end of the 18th century. Their development is closely related to that of the men’s shirt. Men have been wearing shirt-like items of clothing since the invention of woven fabric 5,000 years BC. Reference: Wikipedia
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Below are some examples and price guides of cufflinks including a Cartier Art Deco dress set with rock crystals and diamonds and a pair of yellow gold “bull” cufflinks.
BOUCHERON: CUFFLINKS Double-sided: Of reeded baton and rope twist design, signed Boucheron, numbered, maker’s mark, baton length 2.1cm, maker’s box
Sold for £ 1,721 inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2021
One of a pair of silver cufflinks inlaid with copper farthings, or farthing tokens. (whole) Bust of Charles II, cuirassed, head, with hair tied back in ribbon, left. (obverse) Not visible: set into cuff-link. (reverse)
© The Trustees of the British Museum
CARTIER ART DECO DRESS SET WITH ROCK CRYSTAL AND DIAMONDS
METAL: platinum (950) DIAMONDS: circular-cut and rose-cut diamonds with approximate total weight of 0.8 – 1.0 carat ROCK CRYSTAL: carved rock crystal SIZE/DIMENSIONS: 1.3 cm (cufflinks diameter), 0.9 cm (button diameter) DATE: circa 1925 SIGNATURE: Cartier (cufflinks), Cartier Paris (buttons) MARKS: French assay marks for platinum, ‘Made in France’, ‘Breveté SGDG’, nos. 02300 and 0666, maker’s marks GROSS WEIGHT: 20.39 grams Accompanied by its fitted case
Sold for EUR 15,000 at Christie’s in 2021
David Webb Pair of Gold and Enamel Cufflinks 18 kt., the cushion-shaped panels of pinwheel motif applied with radiating tapered blue and red enamel, signed Webb, minor enamel loss, ap. 14.8 dwts.
Sold for $2,142 (includes buyer’s premium) at Doyle in 2021
Frascarolo Solid 18K Yellow Gold and Enamel Bull Cufflinks W/Ruby Accents – These cufflinks were made by Italian jeweler Pierino Frascarolo and crafted of solid 18k yellow gold. Pierino Frascarolo began his career as an apprentice with the Fratelli Lunati company before beginning his own firm with Aldo Lenti. He is well-known for his enamel work and gold animals created throughout the 1960s. These bull cufflinks are decorated with black enamel with red guilloche enamel accents and genuine ruby eyes. They are signed “Modele Depose” along with the Italian register mark and gold purity “750”.
Sold for $900 at GWS Auctions Inc. in 2021
Ornament ca. 800 B.C. Irish
Though objects such as these are conventionally called “dress fasteners” and “sleeve fasteners,” their exact purpose is unknown. It has been proposed that the smaller “sleeve fastener” worked much like a modern cufflink: the disks would have been drawn through slits in the garment. The “dress fastener” may have been secured by loops sewn onto the garment.
Reference: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
