DIV IV - Links and Studs  (Page 1)

Preface: The purpose of this section is to provide background, discussion and visual examples of links and studs as defined in Div IV, Section 6 in the NBS Classification Guide¹ (Blue Book). In the past, studs and links were assigned separate Division IV sections in the Blue Book. This separation was most likely created to simplify competition definitions and was arbitrarily based on the mechanical features for attachment to the garment. Links were button-like objects with movable parts and studs were button-like objects with a rigid post or rod attached to a foot that had no movable or separable parts. The current Blue Book brings links and studs into a single section to better facilitate an understanding of their history and usage. The classes assigned facilitate competition as before or in a manner more attuned to usage of the studs and links.

Discussion: The origin of links and studs is hard to pin down but probably occurred by the end of 17th century. Their invention was one branch in the evolution of the common button. Since links and studs require button holes for attachment, and, since buttons existed as ornaments and trim long before the introduction of the button hole, it is easy to infer that links and studs were invented as a type of improvement on buttons after buttons became functional for securing garments. The most obvious improvement is the ability of links and studs to function as a closure device without having to sew them to the garment. Thus, they were easily removed to prevent theft and to prevent damage when cleaning the clothing. Also important was the ability to use the same links and studs on a wide variety of garments. This might have been very important to men or women who did not have the means to purchase nice buttons for each vest, shirt, or shirtwaist. For the price of additional button holes, a nice set of links or studs could be worn on many garments. One reason for their fall from popularity is the change in fashions from ornamental buttons and trim to inexpensive, machine installed buttons that required no special care. Cuff links and shirt studs are still worn today by men wishing to make a fashion statement with their tuxedo or French cuff shirt. Spurred by the industrial revolution, hundreds of inventions were patented, starting in the late 1870s, that added clever mechanical devices to links and studs to ease their installation on stiff collars, shirts, and cuffs. These mechanical wonders included springs, levers, hinges, cams, snaps, prongs, wings, and the like. A sample of the patents granted for these inventions, including the actual mechanisms, can be seen by clicking on the 1877 Capron patent image to the left.

While definitions are blurry, collectors have generally considered links to be non-separable such as the earliest button-links in the form of two buttons connected together with cord or leather and later with wire or metal chain type links. The two linked buttons may have been the same or different in size and design. Their earliest use in Europe was for fastening collars and in Scandinavia, for example, button-links predated the use of buttons for fastening clothes. Toggles, which are buttons with a chain attached to the shank and a bar-like device attached to the other end of the chain, were also used as early clothes fasteners. They were probably in use in Spain by 1700. Cuff links may be one or more pieces and may be separable or non-separable. Like cuff links, studs come in the form of one or more pieces and may be separable or non-separable. Click on the image at the right to see further information and examples of early peasant silver button-links, toggles, and studs².

The Blue Book now classifies links and studs into two main categories - back types and other design features. Back types include 6-1.1, Non-separable (includes linked buttons, toggles, and other mechanisms with moveable parts), 6-1.2, Rigid post (no moveable parts), 6-1.3, Separable (includes spring/lever or snap mechanisms for separating the front and back), and 6-1.4, Spiral wire shanks.  In terms of other design features, links and studs can be found with almost every possibility found in our buttons with the obvious exception of the sew-on feature of buttons. Material types will include glass, ceramics, enamel, metals, natural materials, and synthetic polymers. Construction techniques may including cast, molded, carved,  and others. Characteristics such as decorative finish (DF), other material embellishment (OME), and shapes will be the same as for Division I, III, and IX buttons. Class 6-2 allows and supports writing awards that focus on specific characteristics such as those above. See the footnote at the end of the Div IV listing in the Blue Book.

The image to the left shows an alternate mounting technique for studs. Using modern elastic cord, this technique allows safe and easy mounting of the studs to the card and does so in a way that allows direct viewing of the post, foot, operating mechanism and back mark without removing the stud from the card. The links at the bottom of this page lead to more information on the mounting process along with access to more information on peasant silver links and toggles and links patents.