Alex Jona Horse Head Cufflinks

When Alex Jona joined the Italian jewelry purveyor that his father, Giorgio Jona, had founded in 1961, the Jona brand began to offer elegant bracelets, cufflinks, necklaces and other accessories subdued enough for daily wear yet visually splendid and skillfully handcrafted using precious metals and stones.

Tucked in a 1690 Baroque building on Torino’s Palazzo Balbo di Vinadio is a 3,000-square-foot showroom. This is the headquarters of Jona, home to luxury jewelry designs that are complex, yet often understated. For example, a slender pair of yellow tourmaline drop earrings set into 18-carat gold has a juxtaposition creating just the slightest contrast, which might be noticed only upon close inspection.

Alex travels frequently, and precious stones collected from around the world are a common fixture in Jona jewelry — he personally designs pieces with stones like lapis lazuli shaped into eye-like cufflinks, sapphires caged in 14-carat-gold rings and quartz crystals stacked into modern beaded necklaces. Enamel, which is one of the oldest forms of surface decoration, is often arranged to create graphic, abstract patterns or cheekier winks, like miniature tennis balls on cufflinks. Even sparklier pieces, like diamond-encrusted earrings, bear an organic quality when arranged in the shape of a blooming daisy.

An innovative spirit can also be found in Jona’s collaborations, such as the partnership with Italian architect and jewelry designer Tiziana Redavid that yielded radical bracelets and necklaces made with stainless-steel springs. The result is a brand whose modern shapes and precious stones ride the line between traditional elegance and modern daring.

Find a wide range of Alex Jona jewelry on 1stDibs today.

Cufflinks rose to popularity during the 1800s as fashionable men sought a refined and elegant solution for keeping their shirtsleeves together. Prior to this accessory, which initially materialized as a simple chain fastened to a button, men were lacing the ends of their sleeves with ribbon or string. Today, there are all manner of antique and vintage cufflinks that add flair and functionality to relaxed casual wear as much as they do for classy formal attire.

It wasn’t long before diamonds, emeralds and other precious gemstones began to appear on cufflinks, a means of adding ornament to clean and starched formal wear. When clothing manufacturers began to produce shirt cuffs and collars with more durable materials during the 19th century, a class of newer, stronger cufflinks gained credibility as being both essential and stylish. In the decades following this era’s design evolution, an entire industry bloomed around the craft of these subtle statement pieces.

Luxury brands more often associated with engagement rings and bracelets, such as Cartier and Tiffany & Co., have added cufflinks to their lines over the years, and jewelry designers, working in numerous styles, have explored the use of different materials and integrated a variety of ornamentation. Understated cufflinks of gold and platinum are guaranteed to cleanly complement any ensemble, while more niche designs allow the jewels to truly shine.

Cufflinks are practical pieces of jewelry that can also be very expressive. Consider the event for which you’re donning cufflinks and accessorize accordingly, but know that a distinctive pair of cufflinks, such as the colorful confections offered by Trianon, can pop against your dressy evening wear. Whether they’re geometric wonders of the Art Deco era, reliably relevant skull jewels or glittering accessories designed by Van Cleef & Arpels, adorned with the maison’s celebrated four-leaf clover or prominent animal motifs, you can delicately break from what can be a stuffy business meeting by introducing personality and pizzazz with a duo of nifty cufflinks.

A carefully chosen set of cufflinks can bring a stylish outfit together — literally. Find a large, luxurious collection of contemporary cufflinks as well as irresistible vintage pieces on 1stDibs today.