Antique Gold-in-Quartz Cufflinks
Eureka! |
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The California Gold Rush of 1849 sparked an enthusiasm for gold-in-quartz jewelry - jewelry featuring quartz shot through with sparkling veins of gold. Enterprising jewelers and goldsmiths in San Francisco selected particularly beautiful specimens of gold-bearing quartz, sliced the white and gold gemstones into small slabs, and created striking brooches, rings, watch cases and cufflinks.
 This pair of Victorian cufflinks (or more properly cuff buttons) is a wonderful example. Each cufflink features two rectangles of gold-bearing quartz set at an angle like the covers of an open book. Bold golden domes engraved with radiating lines and repeated chevrons form the ends. The cufflinks were crafted in 14kt gold, circa 1870.
 The reverse of the cufflinks are as carefully crafted as the fronts. Gold backs protect the gold-in-quartz slabs and add strength to the design. The cufflinks are attached to the cuff with fixed posts and button backs, a style common until the 1890s. The surfaces are beautifully polished to a bright finish ( please excuse the dark reflections from the camera ).
Name: Eureka!
Here are a few more elegant pairs of cufflinks from the past ...
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