The subtle difference: Cuff-links

A normal button would suffice! When men choose to secure the sleeves of their shirts with a premium cuff-link, they are making a statement. For elegance and style, for self-determination and the individual freedom to favour a small ritual over more customary methods when dressing. They make a conscious decision to wear an accessory that represents masculine jewellery more than any other. Gold cuff-links, ornamented with personal engraving or radiant enamel are, alongside the signet ring, a gentleman’s classic. Elegance meets fashion, culture meets luxury.

Dare to be extravagant

However, even more important than the practical benefit is the expressiveness of cuff-links which – together with the watch – have lost none of their cachet as classic men’s jewellery. Quite the opposite. They arouse curiosity about those who wear them. Men that acknowledge good style and an attitude to life that transcends fashion and luxury, displaying a certain culture. Whether they are a dandy, gentleman or bonvivant: men with cuff-links – in yellow gold, red gold, white gold – allow themselves the luxury of taking a little more time with their styling.

They deserve it. This is no luxury designed to impress others, it is a personal matter, part of a certain lifestyle. Wearing classy cuff-links moves beyond the necessary, requiring an effort that many may regard as excessive, whilst others find their imaginations unleashed. Gloriously impractical on the one hand, but also masculine and filled with character.

How to wear cuff-links

The golden rule: cuff-links should only be worn on shirts with turn-back cuffs. Clearly, these are not to be found universally, necessitating a somewhat different path to cultivated styling. They are an absolute must with dinner jackets: shirts with double cuffs are the standard for special occasions, gala evenings, weddings, premières. The more sophisticated the outfit, the more official the occasion, the more sophisticated the cuff-links may be. Dinner jackets can be matched with cuff-links in gold or platinum, whilst silver or stainless-steel may be worn for daily use, depending on the outfit. Perfectionists co-ordinate the colours of the metals. In other words, a watch in a white metal such as stainless-steel or white gold will be worn with cuff-links of that colour.

If the wedding ring and/or watch are made from yellow or red gold, then the aim should be for cuff-links in those hues. Premium cuff-links suit all kinds of classic men’s fashion and may be somewhat sportier or more elegant, depending on the style of clothing. Unconventional gentlemen find bold and humorous designs – such as the animal jewellery of the Fauna collection from Victor Mayer. Cuff-links under a sweater? Why not. The modern dandy likes to be casual. And not forgetting: women like wearing cuff-links as well, with blouses and shirt dresses – with double cuffs, naturally! A great styling idea, one with which Marlene Dietrich also caused quite a stir.

The ultimate gift idea

What used to be conventional is now trendy: cuff-links bear witness to the appreciation of the recipient, especially when matched individually to their preferences and style. For “beginners” it is best to include a double-cuffed shirt with the gift, as then the recipient is good to go. An attentive gift from father to son or vice versa, from wife or partner for the man in their life, a present to mark a birthday, an exam and of course a wedding.

Because gold cuff-links as gift for the bridegroom not only have tradition, they are also the future. If the gift is to have an individual character, the cuff-links are personalized. Victor Mayer engraves inscriptions or initials onto the back or the mechanism, with the work ideally performed by hand.

What is the right cuff-link for me?

Classic or modern, luxurious or suitable for everyday use, conservative or humorous: the range is surprisingly large. At Victor Mayer aficionados can find quality in many price categories, simple designs and opulently decorated models, but above all: finest craftsmanship. For over 130 years techniques have been nurtured and cultivated here that have long been forgotten elsewhere. for example, guilloche work. Watch enthusiasts appreciate the fantastic effects achieved by the artistic working of the dials of premium timepieces. At Victor Mayer traditional guilloche techniques are used to engrave flowing lines of the greatest precision and with a distance of tenths of a millimetre to the metal of the jewellery – by hand! For this complex work the guillocheurs utilize old mechanical machines, some of them over a century old, the operation of which calls for the greatest of attention.

Errors are not accepted. This is also the case with enamelling, a further core competence of Victor Mayer. The art of genuine fire enamelling is practiced in the finest tradition at the Pforzheim manufacture – unique of its kind throughout Europe. The application and annealing of mineral substances, layer for layer, results in brilliant, radiant colours that ennoble any jewellery. With so-called French enamel, which is also used for cuff-links, genuine fire enamel and finest guilloche work are combined, giving rise to inimitable brilliance and depth. Firing time and temperatures of around 800 degrees Celsius need to be coordinated perfectly.

Tradition and future

The cuff-links of Victor Mayer are manufactured completely in-house, with the individual parts such as bar, bracket and the spring of the mechanism formed from solid sheet gold. The practical folding mechanism makes them easy to operate. Whether it is simple design such as in the models of the “Hallmark” range, explosions of colour as in “Globetrotter” or the artistic miniature animal world sculptures of “Fauna”: Each line carries the DNA of the company within it.

Above all the “Art Deco” series with radiant, brilliant-cut diamonds, which brings the era of the 1920s dandies as immortalized in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” back to life. The creative combination of elegance of form, preciousness of materials, strength of colours and sensuality of design point the way from the past to the future.

Curious?
Please click on the chosen area to get to know our jewellery better:

Diamond-set gold ring with silver, blue and pink enameled guilloche

Enamel Jewellery

Diamond-set gold locket for your own pictures

Lockets

Victor Mayer White Gold Signet Ring 18k Layered onyx Griffin Engraving

Signet rings

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