Under Rock Crystal
Victorian terrier cufflinks for an investor
The ask
Our lead investor has agreed to take a seat on our board. He has kept terriers all his life and wears French cuffs to every meeting. The founders want to thank him with something he will actually wear. Budget around $5,000.
The gift
A pair of Victorian gold cufflinks, each set with a rock-crystal cabochon carved from the back and painted in reverse, so a terrier appears to stand inside the stone. We search the antique trade for a pair showing his breed, have a jeweler check the fittings, and write a short history of the technique. They come in a fitted case, inside the linen box with a wax-sealed card.
Why it's extraordinary
The technique was used for sporting dogs on gentlemen's cufflinks from the 1860s, and fell away when cheap glass copies arrived around the 1920s. He wears his breed, made the way it was done then.
The moment
They are worn to his first meeting as a director, and to most meetings after that.
A curator replies within one business day.
