Description
Beaded Cuff Links
I enjoy making beaded gifts for all my friends and family, but when it comes to the men in my life, I often find myself a little bit stumped. My brother would probably sooner stick pins in his eyes than wear jewellery (I’m sure he won’t mind me saying that). But he does have to dress smartly in his job and he does like cuff links.
So, it has become a bit of a family tradition to find him some new cuff links for Christmas or birthdays. When I saw that GJ Beads sold cuff link backs, I needed no invitation! The only decision I had to make was the design for my beaded cuff links.
About the pattern
Now, I’ve given my brother more than one pair of beaded cuff links over the years. I also have another tradition of my own. When I’m making a gift for someone special, I like to keep it unique. So for the most part I won’t even attempt to write up a pattern.
However, it occurred to me that I’m probably not the only beader who knows a man who might be persuaded to wear beaded cuff links. So I set my mind to creating a design that I felt would work. I also happen to have a collection of out-of-circulation coins that have no collectable value.
In essence these are very much like cabochons. So it didn’t take me long to work out that by picking an appropriate size of coin, I could create a subtle beaded casing to hold it in place and also fix it to the cuff link back. No glue is required for this project. The beaded cuff link is secure and, I hope, suitable for any man to wear. You don’t even need to use matching coins for this. There is a lot to be said for asymmetric designs at the moment.
You are going to be using seed beads. So, you can choose a colour that reflects the metal of your coin. Or just go for another masculine colour, or perhaps the favourite colour of the recipient. This project is quite quick to make and the beaded cuff links are perfect for a special gift.
