Dating and help with what material these 1950s ? or 60s ? cufflinks are made of

[laurenm]

Hi everyone,
Was thinking these were from the 50s or 60s...any thoughts?
Also, the photos don't really show it but they have a pearly irridescent quality and are quite reflective....almost abalone-y-esque....don't know what to call them.
Thanks for any help.
Lauren

 

[The Vintage Merchant]

those are fantastic!!

those settings remind me of a bracelet that we had years ago, that was white onyx. maybe Laura will be by this morning for you, Lauren!

 

[Pinkcoke]

They look like some sort of resin to me, can you tell if the black design is applied on top of the white or also a soldid material?

 

[cmpollack]

I thought hardstone/onyx too, but you say the white has a pearlescent quality. So maybe shell?

Melanie's question is a great one. It looks like the links are set with a mosaic of black and white pieces, either shell or stone, but maybe it's a single, smooth surface?

They're great, BTW, and I agree with your dating!

 

[laurenm]

Its really hard to tell....I can just barely see that there is a very distinct line (junction?) of the black and white....

Its not super pearly, but there is definitely a shiny almost blue cast to the surface.

 

[retro ruth]

I happened to just see some modern earrings, that were mother of pearl and onyx, and looked quite like these, except they had a metal line between the black and white.

They remind me of Mondrian, without the colour.

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

That is what I thought as well, very Mondrian in style. It's difficult to say if it is a stone or some sort of celluloid orplastic from the photos.

 

[Linn]

I"m not seeing MOP but it could be opaque glass or plastic or onyx. Is it warm or cold to the touch compared to something that you know is glass or plastic or stone? I agree with 50s or 60s.

Linn

 

[laurenm]

I'll check out the temperature and try and get some shots in natural light. thanks so much.

 

[laurenm]

So, they seemed about the same temp as everything else around and here are a couple of shots in daylight....they look so nice in real life, their little flaws are so exaggerated up close and personal!

 

[andre24]

very fantastic