Cufflinks are actually designer accessories that are worn by both men and women to tie the cuffs on a blouse, a tuxedo, a formal attire or a shirt. Cufflinks are also worn with the use of a link cuffs, which are also called double cuffs or French cuffs, and can actually be worn in two ways. The terms ?kissing? meant putting the two ends together and pinching it. The other is a term called ?barrel-style? with the link overlapping the other. But most men and women prefer the kissing way rather than the barrel-style.



Cufflink designs also come in varied forms. The simplest design of a cufflink is basically a chain which would connect parts which are shaped like a disc. The visible side of the part is mostly larger and an assorted array of designs is used to connect to the small part. This small part may in fact be so small that it can easily pass through a button hole just like a normal button would do. It can also be freed from that position and instead be fastened to the other side. Or in some instances, the small part may be pivoted on the central post of the cuff link so that it would bring into line the link which is passed through the button hole and moved to the right angle when it is worn.

For the part of the cuff link which is seen, this can be actually decorated in whatever taste the owner may have. There are also styles and kinds to choose from when looking for a cuff link: contemporary cuff links, humorous cufflinks, novelty cufflinks and the traditional cufflinks.

Cufflinks are also made up of different materials, and come with different features. Some are made of gold and onyx while others have pearls inside them and are accompanied with studs.

As for the designers of the cufflinks, many people have risen up to the occasion. Among them are Simon Carter, Duchamp. Ravi Rattan, Simon Carter, Ian Flaherty, Murray Ward, Fiona Rae, as well as a host of others. There are also leading retailers of cufflinks and these are: House of Fraser, KJ Beckett, John Lewis Partnership, Liberty of London, and others. And all of the designs of the cufflinks of these designers can be bought at such establishments.

If cufflinks don't fasten that easily to the cuffs of the shirt or to the gown, there is also another alternative ? that is the silk knot, which is also called the monkey's fist or turk's head. This piece of item is more popularly known in Europe than in North America and it still serves its purpose well: to be formal. For French cuff shirts, these well-coordinated and colored silk knots usually accompany them instead of the double-button cuff links. Unlike before in which they are used to be made of silk, now it is quite different as they are now made in elastic form. These pieces of jewelry are now popularly called as the Turks Head Cufflinks.