Most "best cufflinks" lists in India are affiliate roundups of plated brass pairs, ranked by price and star ratings. They rarely tell you what the metal is, whether the fastening will hold a heavy face, or why one pair costs ₹500 and another costs as much as a ring. This guide covers what to buy and why, the way a jeweller would explain it across the counter.
It applies to cufflinks for the office, for weddings and receptions, and as a gift. If you need help putting them on, our guide on how to wear cufflinks covers French cuffs, kissing and barrel styles step by step.
What do cufflinks mean, and what shirt do they need?
Cufflinks are fasteners that close a shirt cuff in place of a button. A short shaft passes through buttonholes on both sides of the cuff, and a toggle or bar on the back keeps it shut. The face, the decorative part, sits on the outside of the cuff.
They need a cuff with a buttonhole on both sides. That means a French (double) cuff that folds back on itself, a link cuff that is fastened the same way but not folded, or a convertible cuff that carries a button and also has a hole on both sides. A standard button cuff will not take them. Check your shirts before you buy.
The idea is older than the word. A state archaeology lab's guide to linked buttons records pairs of buttons joined by a chain or bar as the usual shirt-cuff closure from the late 17th century, when they were called sleeve buttons; the word "cufflink" may not have come into regular use until the late 19th century.
Which metal is best for cufflinks?
Solid metal is best: 925 sterling silver or 18K gold. Both can be polished, repaired and engraved for decades. Plated pairs look the same in the box and different within months.
| Metal | What it is | How it wears | Hallmark to look for in India |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plated brass or alloy | Base metal with a thin coat of gold, rhodium or silver colour | Plating rubs off at edges and the toggle | None; usually unmarked |
| Stainless steel | Hard, inexpensive steel alloy | Very durable, cannot be resized or recast | None |
| 925 sterling silver | 92.5% silver, hardened with copper | Durable; tarnishes slowly, polishes back | 925 stamp; BIS hallmark with HUID is voluntary |
| 18K gold | 75% gold | Durable, does not tarnish | BIS hallmark with 18K750 and HUID |
| Diamond-set silver or gold | Solid metal with hand-set stones | Depends on the setting | Metal hallmark; stone certification on request |
Silver is the practical choice for most men. It matches steel watches, costs far less than gold, and holds diamonds well in a sturdy setting. Indian humidity makes silver tarnish faster, but the tarnish is a surface film that a silver cloth removes. Store cufflinks in a closed box with an anti-tarnish strip or a zip bag between wears.
Gold suits men whose watch, ring and buttons are yellow gold, and grooms wearing gold zari. Under India's rules, gold jewellery is hallmarked with the purity, such as 18K750, and a six-character HUID, which you can verify in the BIS CARE app. For silver, the government release on silver HUID sets out the revised IS 2112:2025 grades; silver hallmarking is voluntary at the time of writing.
Which cufflink fastening is best?
The whale back is the best all-rounder: a flat toggle that flips down, easy to fasten alone and very secure. The bullet back is easiest for daily office wear. Chain links are the most traditional and the most fiddly.
| Fastening | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Whale back | Flat, fish-tail shaped toggle flips down | Heavier and diamond-set faces, formal wear |
| Bullet back | Small bullet-shaped toggle swivels flat | Everyday office wear |
| Fixed back | Solid bar, no moving parts | Traditional styles; hardest to insert |
| Chain link | Two faces joined by a short chain | Black tie and formal evenings |
| Silk knot | Two knotted silk balls | Casual and summer wear |
For a heavy or stone-set face, choose a whale back. Its flat toggle spreads the load across the cuff, so the face does not droop.
Diamond cufflinks: what to check
Diamond cufflinks live on the edge of your sleeve, where they brush desks, armrests and jacket linings. The setting matters more than the stone.
- Low settings. Flush, bezel, channel and closely set pavé keep stones below or level with the metal, so they do not catch on fabric.
- Avoid tall prongs. Prongs on a cufflink snag knitwear and jacket linings, and a snagged prong is how stones are lost.
- Black or white. Black diamonds show best on white and pale blue shirts and with dark suits; white diamonds read best at evening events under warm light.
- Size of stones. Small, many-stone faces (pavé) are more forgiving than one large stone, which is exposed on every knock.
Ask whether the diamonds are natural or lab-grown, and whether certification is available on request. Both are real diamonds, priced very differently.
Best cufflinks for a wedding
Cufflinks only matter where a shirt cuff shows. Under a sherwani or a long bandhgala, the sleeve usually covers the cuff, and the jewellery that does the work is the buttons and a brooch; our sherwani buttons guide covers those. At the reception, the cocktail evening and the ring ceremony, where suits and Indo-western jackets come out, cufflinks are on show in every handshake photograph.
| Event | Outfit | Cufflinks that work |
|---|---|---|
| Reception or cocktail | Suit or tuxedo | Silver or white gold with diamonds or black diamonds; whale back |
| Ring ceremony | Suit or Indo-western | Plain polished silver or gold, matched to the ring |
| Sangeet | Indo-western jacket over a French-cuff shirt | Bolder face; coloured stone or enamel if the outfit allows |
| Kurta with French cuffs | Festive kurta or kurta-jacket | Small silver or gold face that matches the kurta buttons |
| Office or court | Suit | Plain silver or gold, small face, bullet back |
The groom's set reads best when cufflinks, buttons and lapel pin share one metal colour. A matched set takes that decision away.
Cufflinks as a gift: what to choose
Cufflinks make a good gift only for a man who wears French-cuff or link-cuff shirts. Check his wardrobe first. If he does, choose his watch's metal colour, a whale-back or bullet-back fastening, and a face that is simple enough to wear with any tie.
- For a milestone or 25th anniversary. The 25th is traditionally the silver anniversary, so solid silver cufflinks engraved with a date are a natural fit.
- For a groom. A set with matching buttons or a lapel pin.
- For a colleague or client. A plain, solid pair; avoid novelty designs. Our guide to corporate gifts for men covers etiquette and budget.
Engrave the back rather than the face if he may wear them to work; it keeps the front clean.
Cufflinks price in India: what are you paying for?
Cufflink prices follow material, weight, workmanship and stones. Three things drive the bill:
- Metal. Plated brass costs a fraction of solid silver, and silver a fraction of gold. In silver and gold, the price moves with the day's metal rate and the weight of the pair.
- Workmanship. A cast, hand-finished face with crisp edges and a well-engineered toggle takes far longer than a stamped one.
- Stones. Each diamond is priced separately and set by hand. On a diamond-set pair, stones and setting labour are usually most of the price.
At the low end, plated, enamel and personalised pairs sell online from a few hundred rupees; they are fashion accessories, not jewellery, and are priced as such. Solid silver starts higher because you are paying for metal, and diamond-set pairs in silver or gold run into tens of thousands of rupees. GST on jewellery of precious metal is 3 per cent.
How to tell solid silver from plated brass at a similar price:
- Stamp. Solid silver is usually stamped 925 on the toggle post or the back of the face.
- Wear points. Look at the edges of the toggle and the post on a display pair. Yellow or pink metal showing through grey means plating.
- Weight on the bill. A seller of solid silver will state the weight in grams; a seller of plated pairs usually will not.
- Magnet. Silver is not magnetic. Some base-metal pairs are. Passing proves nothing, but failing settles it.
When comparing brands, ask each seller the same three questions: what is the metal and its weight, what are the stones, and is the fastening solid metal.
How AXIOM approaches this
AXIOM makes formal pieces in solid 925 sterling silver at the Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai. The Insignia Set is a matching pair of cufflinks with an optional lapel pin, in 925 sterling silver with natural black diamonds, from ₹69,800 at the time of writing. The Regent Button, in the same silver with natural black diamonds, is also offered as a matching cufflink or complete formal set, and other designs can be made as a bespoke commission.
The practical takeaway
Buy for the shirt you own: no double-holed cuffs, no cufflinks. Then choose solid 925 silver or 18K gold in your watch's metal colour, a whale-back fastening for anything heavy or stone-set, and low-set stones that will not catch your sleeve. One good pair covers the office, most weddings and every reception.
