British National Animals Cufflink Collection
We were recently approached by a client to design a range of cufflinks to represent the different national animals of the British Isles. The first task was to decide which animals are most associated with the British Isles and then which of these animals would make the most interesting cufflinks. This was an easier task for some of the home nations than others, as whereas Wales is universally associated with dragons and Scotland unicorns, Ireland and England are associated with several animals. For example, England has the lion and the bulldog, while Ireland has the hare and the Irish stag. Through a series of sketches, ideas were developed and discussed with the client and eventually it was decided to create Welsh dragon cufflinks, Scottish unicorn cufflinks, Irish stag cufflinks and English Bulldog cufflinks.
Using CAD the initial sketches were converted into fully 3D models to be rendered in the customer’s choice of material.
At this point it was decided that this should be a premium cufflink collection cast in sterling silver. This choice brought about further issues to consider in terms of the weight of each cufflink. In order to reach the desired price point for each cufflink piece we had to reduce the overall weight of each design by hollowing out any unnecessary material. It is important to maintain enough wall thickness to ensure that the design will not be distorted during the casting process. It is also key to ensure that any interior walls have a draft angle to prevent excess material being retained during the casting process. Each design was then 3D printed to create a wax facsimile for final client approval and mould creation.
With moulds created, the individual cufflink pieces were cast in Sterling Silver before hall-marked, swivel fittings were attached with silver solder by our in-house silversmith team. Finally, the silver cufflinks were expertly hand polished to remove any tarnishing and placed in cufflink boxes for distribution.
