OFF THE CUFF:
The cuff link has been a accessory in fashion for over 150 years, no longer are they a bastion of the corporate boardrooms of the past. Today both men and women are linking their French cuffs together with sophisticated elegance.
The history of the French cuff and the links that adorn them is a matter of debate. The very rich Victorians were able to afford a custom tailored shirt most people of time bought a standard “one size fits all” dress shirt. The sleeves would always erred on the long side, with multiple buttons down the side so the wearer could button the sleeve to the correct length and then simply fold the excess fabric up the sleeve, thus covering the extra buttons.
It was the French who during the mid 19th century dropped the convention of using the one size fits all with extra buttons and began to manufacture individually sized shirts, however they did keep the sleeves longer but added a “French Cuff” which allowed the shirt to be personalized by the adornment’s chosen to close the cuff. The French cuff shirt soon became a favor of the well dressed with over 15 million French cuff shirts being sold in America alone in 2010.
Today we soon both men and women wearing French cuff shirts. They can be casual with jeans, boots and a sport coat as well as the power suits of the corporate world.
Father’s Day makes it a perfect time to express a Dad’s personality and hobbies in an unexpected way. Whether the Father of kid’s of the two or four legged variety what better way to show your affection.
Please feel free to forward this to someone with sleeves.
Watson & Son is always on a treasure hunt for exceptional jewels and timepieces.
Let us know if you have a particular request for something or have something you would like to trade up or trade in.
Featured today are a pair of 14k yellow gold octagonal shaped Art Deco style cufflinks. A bezel set cabochon cut emerald with a white mother of pearl back ground, further accented by a bevel edge set with pieces of green chalcedony. Fitted with a sprung toggle back.
