Cufflink Care Tips

By Adam English

Cleaning your cufflinks regularly is a good habit to develop. It would long benefit a man if he knows how to take care of his belongings and nifty accessories. Well-maintained cufflinks are clean, shiny, and looks almost new. Otherwise, it obviously shows. By taking good care of your cufflinks, you are unlikely to buy a new pair soon because your cufflinks are still in good condition.

Proper caring of your cufflinks is also essential if you want to preserve them for a long time, especially practical if you have a set or collection of valuable cufflinks like gold cufflinks, diamond cufflinks, and vintage or antique cufflinks.

Here are some simple tips in caring for your cufflinks:

Avoid shoving them in carelessly, like almost tossing.

Find a clean, cool, and cushioned storage place where you can keep them in. For example, a cushioned jewelry box. This doesn't have to be expensive. If you want you can even make your own. Just make sure you use soft fabric, like silk or 100% cotton, as inlay of your storage. This way, you can protect your cufflinks from getting scratched in contact to rough surfaces. You can also put your cufflinks inside small zip lock plastic bags before shutting them in jewelry box.

An airtight, cushioned storage space is better, especially for silver cufflinks to delay tarnishing.
Clean your cufflinks every time you take them off, even if they don't look dirty. You can basically just wipe them clean if you don't want to soak them and all that. This is ideal when you wear cufflinks rather frequently, say, with office attire.

Make sure they're clean before you tuck them away. If you're keeping them away for a long time, check them at least once in 2 or 3 months. Wipe them with a soft fabric to keep off any dust.
Let's say you accidentally got your cufflinks dirty while you're wearing them, clean you cufflinks right away, either wipe the dirt or rinse them with running water. Then clean them with a mild cleansing solution when you got home.

When cleaning cufflinks, prepare a mild cleansing solution of diluted soap in water in a bowl. You can also buy jewelry cleaners in jewelry stores though, but soap and water will do the same work too. Avoid soaps with ingredients like bleach and harsh chemicals that may damage your cufflinks. Soak cufflinks for a few minutes and brush them gently with an old soft toothbrush. Bristles of a new brush can be stiff and sharp and can cause scratches on your cufflinks surface.

In the event that your cufflinks get damaged, many times it's a wiser decision to opt for professional service than to fix them on your own. It may cost you extra money but you do not risk your cufflinks further damage by having a professional fix them instead of you. For enamel cufflinks, bring them to a good enamel restorer. Professional jewelers or cufflinks makers can restore your cufflinks back in shape.

Adam English invites you to take a look at the latest men's cufflinks offered at Cufflinks.co.uk. Specialists in sterling silver cufflinks, men's unique gifts and accessories - you're certain to find something to your liking.

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Types of Cufflink Styles

By Rober Ron

Cufflinks are used to fasten the cuffs of the wrist. They are inserted through the button-holes of the cuff. They come in many styles. All those styles can be categorized under just few types. Most commonly used cufflinks are made of silver or gold. They are plain with no design on them. These types of cufflinks are also available at very cheap rates. Plain ones can be used with any kind of dress because they have no design on them. This is the biggest advantage of the plain cufflinks. You don't have to buy new one for the new dress. All you have to do is purchase plain cufflinks of your favorite color and use them with any dress you like.

Another type of cufflinks is the one in which there are numerous designs on them. Some are embossed and some are engraved. They give much better look than the simple plain ones. Engraved and embossed are usually priced a little bit higher than the plain cufflinks. The reason for the high price is that these type of cufflinks require more effort. Some of them also contain small diamonds and other expensive elements. Engraved ones cannot be used with all dresses. You have to buy different cufflinks for your all dresses.

The two types listed above are known as common types. The most popular style is called "toggle". These cufflinks are usually worn by gentry class as they car the most expensive ones available in the market. You can easily judge the difference between toggle and simple cufflinks in the first look. Toggle cufflinks are fancier. They have a short bar attached on their back.

Another popular type of is known as "fixed". Fixed cufflinks are similar to toggle but are available at a very low price. The back of fixed cufflinks is ornamented. Anyone can afford to buy them as they are available in almost every country.

Cufflinks are always better than the typical buttons of the suit or coat. The most common used by almost everyone are the plain cufflinks. There are many reasons why people are using that type of cufflinks. First of all they are available everywhere and you don't have to go at a particular place to get them. Secondly, anyone with just few dollars can get them. Plain one also look beautiful as they just give a shine on your suit. Fixed and toggle are usually worn by gentry class as they are the most expensive cufflinks in the market. Middle class can also buy those cufflinks but they have to take extra care of those as it will be difficult for them to buy them again. The best and cheap alternative to toggle and fixed is the engraved cufflinks. There is no such major difference between them. The only difference is that expensive things are used to make the toggle whereas normal elements are used to make the engraved cufflinks.

For more information, visit Cufflinks.

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Different Cufflink Styles

By Gary Allard

Cufflinks once used to be one of the highly celebrated accessories for dressing up, especially with French cuffs. It became rather unpopular during the 1980s as a change of fashion trend occurred. Since then, the use of cufflinks was sparingly reserved for formal events. In modern times, we see a new fashion trend of cufflinks coming back to the limelight.

Dress shirts with French cuffs are typically seen in wardrobes of modernly dressed men. Men can wear them in most occasions - when they go to work, to a date, or business meetings etc. Stylish men would naturally want to add personal fashion to their usual clothes. It's not surprising of course to see cufflinks among their few accessories. Some men even collect more than one pair, and choose what fits best for a particular attire.

Cufflinks are great accessories that you can add to your attire.You have so many to choose from. They come in hundreds of designs and shapes and styles. They are made from a wide range of materials - precious metals, linings, and gemstones. You can find a wide range of designs - from the solid simple cufflinks to the most intricate designed pairs. There's a pair of cufflinks to suit every attire and occasion in your life. You can also find cufflinks that suit your taste and personality. Plus, many are relatively affordable and most decent pairs are reasonably priced. No wonder they become favorite collectibles of goodly dressed men.

There are a few designs of cufflinks, particularly pertaining to mechanism. Post cufflinks are one of the most common varieties you typically see in men's jewelry and it's easy to wear too. Just slide through the post to the cuffs' buttonholes and turn the post to form a "T" shape to secure it.

Silk knot cufflinks are similar to button cufflinks, only they're made of silk knots with a small chain or ribbon in between that connects the knots. They're a great way to diversify from traditional metal cufflinks. They usually don't have gem stones or other designs but they are elegant on their own. Silk knots also shimmer just like metals. It's an unconventional way of wearing cufflinks. Some silk knot cufflinks are purposely made for exclusive ties, so they match.

Button cufflinks have a small chain in between that attaches and clips the discs. Both sides are usually identically well polished, with the decorative plate on the outer side of course.

Clip cufflinks secure the button holes by clipping itself, and at most times, it also extends to the edge of the cuffs.

A good guide to wearing the right cufflinks is to practice matching them with other pieces of your attire or accessories. Match it with your tie, your belt buckle, wristwatch, or wedding band. This way they compliment your overall look. Consider mostly the dominant color and/or design of your attire. No matter how expensive or stylish your cufflinks are, if they don't fit well with your attire, it's no good either. Gold and silver cufflinks are safest choice, especially for formal occasions.

Gary Allard invites you to take a look at the latest unique cufflinks offered at Cufflinks-for-him.com. Specialists in cufflink boxes, men's unique gifts and accessories - you're certain to find something to your liking.

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How Do You Know Which Pair of Cufflinks to Wear?

By Mary Michaels

Because of the numerous designs you have, confusion arises as to which pair of cufflink would complement your outfit best. Fret no more. Here are ways on how to match your cufflinks with your outfit.

First, identify the occasion. Does the occasion call for formal attire? Is it a business one, or just a casual event? For business events, formality is the key. Choose the most classic piece you have. Never ever dare to wear novelty cufflinks. The conservatively designed cufflink sets are the best choices.

Some formal events may have themes though, and you can match your cufflink with the occasion's theme. A wedding may request you to follow certain standards, do abide by the request. Parties such as debuts or reunions may also set themes; you can wear your semi-formal pair, one that is not too conventional yet not too quirky.

Second, make sure that the cufflink color matches the color of what you are wearing. It may not necessarily be of the same color, but at least of the same color family or a shade that harmonize with the others. Balance off a dark suit with a light colored cufflink. Or check your tie and see if both accessories match each other.

The rule of thumb is to follow the color of your tie, regardless of the print in it. If you have a red tie, your cufflink color should be within the red color family. And if your tie is overly printed, go for a simple and plain cufflink to create balance.

Third, check the color of your inner shirt. Again, create contrast by pairing dark colored ones with a lighter color. Say you wear a light-colored inner shirt; go for a dark colored cufflink as an accessory. Choose if you want to follow the color of your tie or your shirt. Usually both of them should also come from the same color family to maintain balance.

You could also check your other fashion accessories and match the design of your cufflink with them. You may also want to consider the material of your cufflink. Use your belt buckle, ring or watch, or other pairs of jewelry as basis of which cufflink material should you pick - fabric, metal, or glass.

A general rule says that formal occasions require gold and silver-toned accessories, including cufflinks. Gold ones look best with shades of brown or earth colors. Silver, on the other hand, look best with the rest of the colors. Just remember that the goal is to create balance. You wouldn't want to look funky and stand out by looking funny, right?

Mary Michaels invites you to take a look at the latest silver cufflinks offered at CanadaCufflinks.ca. Specialists in sterling silver cufflinks, men's unique gifts and accessories - you're certain to find something to your liking.

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