You're a man of taste who wears cufflinks regularly — well done! Just like jewellery, cufflinks need to be cared for and stored meticulously. To help you know everything about cufflinks, this page covers the best way to clean and care for your cufflinks depending on their material. What's more, if you own a small collection of this fashion accessory, we'll also look at how to store it properly.
Cufflinks are back in fashion with men! Available in different shapes and materials, they're the ideal accessory for a perfect outfit for the modern man, much as jewellery is for women. Some cufflinks are genuine pieces of jewellery that need great care — this is especially true of antique cufflinks, worn at a wedding and passed down from generation to generation. While cufflinks today come in a range of materials, they were mostly made of gold or silver at the start of the 20th century. As a result, many grandparents have passed their cufflinks down to their children and grandchildren. Now it's your turn to take good care of them.
Choosing a storage set for your cufflinks
Owning a lovely collection of cufflinks is a mark of refinement. So you'll need to find a way to keep this collection safe from dust and humidity. Nothing beats a nice case to slip them into. Men are increasingly happy to store their clothes and accessories in dedicated boxes. Menswear accessory makers now offer bags and other boxes for storing your tie, your belt, and, of course, your cufflinks.
While women tend to store their jewellery in a box and their clothes and accessories in a wardrobe or dresser, men organise their accessory storage a little differently. Buying a storage box for cufflinks is part of that organisation.
Storing your clothes and accessories in a dressing room
The arrival of dressing rooms in modern homes has changed how men store their clothes and accessories. The way we store menswear has come a long way since our grandparents' wedding-day wardrobe.
- The shirt and suit waistcoat are hung on hangers in the dressing room.
- Trousers are slotted onto a multi-tier hanger.
- Suits, especially a wedding suit, are also hung on hangers and can be slipped under a garment cover.
- The tie is placed, carefully rolled, in a storage box.
- Socks are placed in a drawer with multiple compartments.
- The bow tie is stored in a box shaped to fit it.
- The day's watch is chosen from among other models kept in a dedicated case.
- Cufflinks are stored in a case lined with velvet, usually black.
Every garment and accessory now has its place in the dressing room. It has to be said, this new way of storing our shirts and shoes is far more practical and ergonomic.
Storing your fashion accessories in a case
As we've just seen, men's fashion accessories are now kept in dedicated boxes. Let's now go through the different storage-case designs in more detail.
Storing ties and bow ties
Men's favourite box for storing ties and bow ties is generally a wooden box with several compartments, topped with a wood-and-glass lid for an elegant see-through finish. A man will store his tie rolled up on itself, with the tip and the widest part on top. As for the bow tie, it's placed in a compartmentalised box, also made of wood. This storage method makes it far easier to choose the right accessory when a man needs to pick a tie or bow tie to match the day's shirt. One advantage of these compartmentalised boxes is that these favourite accessories stay protected from dust and humidity.
Storing watches
Watches are also placed in a multi-compartment box. Each slot has a padded velvet lining, usually black, around which the man positions the closed watch strap. Protected this way, watches are safe from both dust and an unfortunate fall.
Storing cufflinks
Cufflinks are small. This makes them easier to misplace if you don't take care to store them in a suitable container. And what do you do if you end up with just one cufflink from a pair? When you buy a pair of cufflinks, they're usually presented in a plastic box lined with black or coloured fabric. The simplest solution for storing your cufflinks is to put the box in your wardrobe. But this quickly creates a problem in your morning routine, since you'll likely need to open every box just to see what's inside. Not very practical, especially when you're in a hurry.
Cufflink makers have therefore developed compartmentalised boxes, where each slot is lined with velvet forming a small groove in the centre, where you place your cufflinks. The big advantage of these boxes is that your cufflinks stay fixed in place and won't knock against each other as you move around.
If you own cufflinks, watches and tie clips all at once, ask for a box with multiple storage sections as a gift, so you can keep all your fashion accessories together. These larger cases are admittedly bulkier, but they let you keep everything stored in one single place.
Are you a man who travels a lot? Don't hesitate to ask for a gift, for Father's Day, for example, of a set of several smaller boxes that will slip easily into your suitcase or travel bag. Your wife or children will easily find the ideal gift box online, often with fast delivery available.
As you can see, alongside storing your suit, shirt, belt and socks, cufflinks now have their own special place in the organisation of menswear, as they've become an accessory many men use every day, whether at the office, at an evening event, or at a wedding.
How to care for your cufflinks
When you receive a pair of cufflinks as a gift, as a discerning enthusiast, your first instinct will be to store them in their box to keep them from getting damaged. But did you know you should also know how to clean your cufflinks? It all depends, of course, on their material.
Gold, silver, platinum or steel cufflinks
These are the easiest to clean. Use a simple soft cloth to remove any fingerprints. If they're genuinely stained, for your gold cufflinks, you can apply salt to half a cut lemon and rub gently before wiping clean. Your platinum or steel designs can be cleaned with water and mild soap. Your silver cufflinks, on the other hand, will need more regular care with a silver polish.
Cufflinks set with precious stones
We recommend taking these to a jeweller for cleaning, given the price and value of these items. That said, if you'd still like to do it yourself, you can soak your cufflinks in an ultrasonic bath, just like your partner's jewellery. Cleaning with water and mild soap using a very soft brush is also an option.
Silk and fabric cufflinks
Silk-covered cufflinks are among the most delicate. Silk can't withstand any prolonged soaking. If your cufflinks are stained, it's best to take them to a specialist. For fabric cufflinks, you can use a small, soft, fine brush or a white cloth to clean them with water and mild soap, then rinse gently. If only one of a pair is dirty, never wash it alone! There's always a risk of slight discolouration or a colour shift on the one that gets wet. Always treat the pair together.
Glass, crystal or enamel cufflinks
These handle cleaning with water and mild soap well. Never use an abrasive brush or sponge. This advice, in fact, applies to all your cufflinks — they all need gentleness and care!
To sum up, apart from silk and fabric cufflinks, which need as little water as possible, other designs handle cleaning fairly well. Also remember to clean your cufflink storage box regularly, using a small soft brush. Never get the inside of your case wet, or you risk the lining peeling or fading.
We also recommend these other pages:
- The cufflinks guide
- How to match your cufflinks
- When to wear cufflinks?
- How to put on cufflinks
- Buying your cufflinks
Well cared-for cufflinks last for years. Browse our full cufflinks collection, from elegant designs reserved for special occasions to quirky cufflinks for everyday wear.
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