We're celebrating the summer by sharing a collection of "sunny" cufflinks—little reminders on-the-cuff of the brightness and warmth which may leave with the season, but will always come back again.
Let's end our parade of sunshine-inspired cufflinks with this interesting and unusual pair from the late Art Deco period. Triangles of 9 karat gold are engraved with concentric circles (at center), from which radiating "sunbeams" emanate outward.
They were hallmarked in Chester, England in 1958—a bit late for the Art Deco period—though there were still a few designers working in that inter-war style (carmakers, furniture crafters and cinema designers, for example).
I'd like to relate a personal story about me and Chester. Over the years, while buying jewelry and silver in England, I've noticed that the "Chester Hallmark" always seems to pluck a romantic string in the British antique trader's heart. Every time I've come across a Chester hallmark amongst their stock, the English dealer would let out a little sigh of affection. Chester is a charming little town, not far from Liverpool. It is filled with Elizabethan-style half-timber buildings—quintessentially English: pretty, historic and quaint. Furthermore, the Chester Assay Office was closed in 1962, making a Chester hallmark a bit of a "bittersweet reminder" of the old days. While I've never been to Chester myself, I am already fond of the place—just through vicarious journeys through the sentiments of the jewelry dealers I've patronized.
This pair of cufflinks, hallmarked in the final four years of the Chester Assay Office, are a little reminder of times past—both the Art Deco and the little gold-testing shop in Chester. Click on the photo above to learn more about them.
We have recently added a cache of new cufflinks to our website—and have many more pairs to add in the weeks to come. Please click here to see the entire range of cufflinks for sale at LEO Design.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
We also can be found in Pittsburgh's historic "Strip District" at Mahla & Co. Antiques (www.mahlaantiques.com) or in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).
Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only). 917-446-4248