One of Winter's loveliest sights is a field of crisp, white snow, juxtaposed against a vibrant blue sky. These Art Deco cufflinks, from the Thirties, feature these two beautiful colorations.
Guilloché is the French word to describe the delicate, engine-turned engraving found on metal—or the patterns printed on paper from such engraved metal plates. Engine-turning is the process of using a mechanical device. one version is called a rose machine, to deliver an intricate and precise pattern—often repetitive swirls, zig-zags or waves—upon the metal. The rose machine has a rotating lathe upon which the material to be engraved (in this case, a cufflink) is mounted at the end. This lathe rotates and rocks rhythmically (and precisely) while the cutting tool scratches the pattern upon the subject material. (Think of a childhood "Etch-a-Sketch"). Guilloché turning is most often applied to metal, though it can also be carved upon wood, glass or other soft materials (in the past, ivory). Guilloché work is also used frequently on the metal plates used to print currency, stamps or official documents (like stock certificates or diplomas).
The first engine-turned engraving machines date to the 1500's. The word guilloché—somewhat shrouded in mystery—is believed to have been coined in the 1770's, after an engineer named Guillot who built such a machine.
The 1930's cufflinks, shown above, are bursting with Art Deco energy and style. Under the white enameling of the faces, one can see a central floral roundel, surrounded by engraved radiant zig-zags. The "bezels" around each face are decorated with graphic triangles, filled with cornflower blue enameling. On cufflinks such as these, the original jewelry maker's model of the cufflink would have been engine-turned. The delicate pattern would then be transmitted through the subsequent moulds used to cast each individual link.
While these cufflinks convey the beauty of the Winter's aesthetic, they would be equally beautiful in the warming Spring—and even nicer in the Summer (against a handsome wrist, tanned by a seaside getaway). Click on the photo above to learn more about these cufflinks.
More Winter White items to come—tomorrow and in the days to follow.
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).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.