Correct orientation for cuff links

Is there a correct orientation for cuff links or for placing cuff
link findings? Should they be horizontal or perpendicular to the
edge of the cuff? Ijust made a pair of Boll Weevil cufflinks. They
are generally rectangular in shape, but very detailed and quite
large (for cuff links) http://www.ganoksin.com/ftp/384boll.jpg

I am using one piece cuff link findings, but am unsure just how they
should be placed so that the boll weevils are correctly placed and
are facing in the right direction.

Sandra
Elegant Insects Jewelry

Cufflink position is so that the image or article appears correct
when the arm is bent (think hands on a desk). When the gentleman
“shoots” a cuff the bug should be pointing up or down. I had the
same question when creating Billiard Ball cufflinks for a customer.
I almost soldered the link on the wrong way, thinking that the
numbers should read correctly when the arms are down to the side.
But, like you I double checked! HTH

Kay Cummins

Depends on exactly what type of back you are using. One-piece backs
generally align with the button hole.

But you should go to a decent haberdashery and buy a man’s shirt
with French cuffs to have on hand for testing. You could also make a
test cuff link, just a flat rectangle of metal, to attach a back to
and see how it sits on the cuff. When it’s the way you want it, save
it for reference.

Also, it’d be good to wear the shirt yourself for a day with the
links in them so you can get an idea of the feel of them on the cuff.
There’s no substitute for knowing from personal experience how a
piece of jewelry should feel when worn. They do make women’s blouses
with French cuffs if you don’t like buttoning left over right.

If you’re not planning on wearing the shirt you can get a French
cuffed shirt at Goodwill or other thrift shop and just cut the cuff
off to save and throw away the rest of the shirt.

Elliot Nesterman

It depends on the design.

To give you a couple of examples of links Ive been asked to make,

  1. A shield with a crest thereon is placed so the shield is upright
    when the arm is held horizontally and the shirt cuff can be seen.

Any other way would be wrong.

Also you ask the customer how he/she wants the design.

  1. A circular design with a hand thereon this will still be upright
    in the circle when viewed on the cuff.

Both of these were for production runs of of 100 prs of links.

A circular design like the Rotary international one will still be
placed in such a way that the words start at say 8, then round
clockwise to 4 o’clock across the top of the circle.

Similarly I made a collection of round Mercedes Benz blazer/ jacket
buttons. The words also were also from 8 clockwise to 4 o’clock.

Making the buttons was the easy bit. Getting their permission to use
their copyright was well nigh impossible, We found a way around
this.

Their legal wording in their reply was to quote.

“we do not allow any commercial reproduction of our design” So I
chose to give ie not commercial the work away. Then cover the cost by
charging for the packaging!!.

Hope this helps.

The normal orientation would be for the bar of the link to be in the
same direction as the length of the front.

Nick Royall

Ok - so when you say “appears correct when the arm is bent” -
appears correct for the wearer, or the person sitting opposite them?
I’ve always wondered about this too. thanks!

Beth Wicker
Three Cats and a Dog Design Studio

Thank you for all your infrmation and suggestions. I love the idea
of buying an old shirt and actually trying to wear it to see how the
cuff links behave. But not having the time to do that, I found a
picture of a cuff on Google, which showed me the orientation of the
buttonhole. I then drew that life size, made a slit and figured how
to place the finding, and then could visualize how the cuff link
itself would fit onto that, and marked it so I would not get
confused again. I just hope I got it right.

Sandra
Elegant Insects Jewelry

Jewelry, when worn, should always appear correct, i. e., right way
up and right way round, to people looking at you. One admires one’s
jewels at home, to admire them while on one’s person in public would
be gauche.

The one exception that comes immediately to mind is a lady’s pendant
watch. Since it needs to be read when looked down at, the face is
upside down from the usual orientation, with 12 o’clock at the bottom
and 6 o’clock at the top.

Elliot Nesterman