Foster Cufflinks

Fascination with the Jazz Age is endless, and even today jewelry designers continue to be inspired by authentic Art Deco jewelry and watches.

The Art Deco period, encompassing the 1920s and ’30s, ushered in a very distinct look in the design of jewelry. There were many influences on the jewelry of the era that actually began to take shape prior to the 1920s. In 1909, Serge Diaghilev brought the Ballet Russes to Paris, and women went wild for the company’s exotic and vibrant costumes It’s no wonder, then, that jade, lapis lazuli, coral, turquoise and other bright gemstones became all the rage. There already existed a fascination with the East, particularly China and Japan, and motifs consisting of fans and masks started to show up in Art Deco jewelry.

However, the event that had the greatest influence on Deco was the excavation of the tomb of King Tut in 1922. When the world saw what was hidden in Tut’s burial chamber, it sent just about everyone into a frenzy. Pierre Cartier wrote in 1923 that “the discovery of the tomb will bring some sweeping changes in fashion jewelry.” And he couldn’t have been more right. “Egyptomania” left an indelible mark on all of the major jewelry houses, from Cartier to Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron and Georges Fouquet. (Cartier created some of the most iconic jewelry designs that defined this era.)

While a lot of Art Deco jewelry was black and white — the black coming from the use of onyx or black enamel and the white from rock crystal and diamonds — there is plenty of color in jewelry of the era. A perfect accent to diamonds in platinum settings were blue sapphires, emeralds and rubies, and these stones were also used in combination with each other.

Many designers employed coral, jade and lapis lazuli, too. In fact, some of the most important avant-garde jewelers of the period, like Jean Després and Jean Fouquet (son of Georges), would combine white gold with ebony and malachite for a jolt of color.

A lot of the jewelry produced during this time nodded to current fashion trends, and women often accessorized their accessories. The cloche hat was often accented with geometric diamond brooches or double-clip brooches. Backless evening dresses looked fabulous with sautoir necklaces, and long pearl necklaces that ended with tassels, popular during the Edwardian period, were favored by women everywhere, including Coco Chanel.

Find unique Art Deco necklaces, earrings, bracelets and other jewelry on 1stDibs.

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.