Why the renewed interest in cuff links? ”Men have been neglected for a long while when it comes to jewelry,” Longmire contends. ”A man doesn’t necessarily want to affect a tiepin valentine’s Day links of london. There really isn’t much room for the poor chap who loves to buy jewelry for his wife but doesn’t see much opportunity to buy jewelry for himself that indicates something of his own character. As a man becomes a bit affluent, however, he soon discovers that cuff links can be an expression of his own individual taste and he begins to invest in jewelry for himself. For myself, I also enjoy mid-19th century stickpins because they are out of the ordinary and often have a sense of humor and a slighty quirky quality all their own valentine’s Day links of london sale.”
Meanwhile, inquiries on this side of the Atlantic indicate lively interest in cuff links in New York as well. Edward Munves, of James Robinson Inc. on 57th Street, explains that ”most of our men customers do not want to wear bracelets or necklaces but prefer the idea of cuff links for adding a bit of color and design to their dress. Certainly we are finding that executives are wearing far more cuff links now than before. Most of ours were made between 1890 and 1940, and prices range from about $400 to $1,200, with big jeweled ones bringing $3,000 valentines Day bracelets .”
Cuff links require double or French cuffs on shirts, but there is no shortage. Custom Shop Shirtmakers, with six stores in New York, offers, as always, a side range of shirts with French cuffs and announces that its own line of cuff links, old and new, is moving well. Brooks Brothers, that bastion of sartorial correctness, indicates it has had a strong season for basic colored all-cotton shirts with French cuffs, and a corresponding demand for cuff links, those set with onyx and lapis lazuli selling best valentines Day rings .