Designer Cufflinks Blog from English Cufflinks

New Website

2011-11-17T10:05:00.003Z

We have just launched our new website which I hope will represent us in a way that our customers can relate to. It looks a lot more professional than our old one which hopefully will not detract from the 'human' element. I get slightly wary of over 'slick' websites as they tend to give the impression of there being nobody there...But we are here and we are human! (sort of)

Laser etched cufflinks

2010-11-04T17:51:00.002Z

Laser etching is a process we are now using increasingly to transfer intricate designs to our cufflinks. Its a very accurate digital process which can not only reproduce extremely fine detail but also with the advent of more powerful machines etch very deeply into the metal.

It is particularly well suited to one-off bespoke designs.

Postal Strike - who wins?

2009-10-19T11:43:00.006+01:00

It looks as if a postal strike is inevitable later this week. Who is going to be the beneficiary of such an action? The postmen? I doubt it. In the short term they will lose out financially and in the long term this could mark the end of the Royal Mail. The public? er...no. They get no post (but also no junk mail so that's a plus I suppose). Royal Mail's customers? (that includes us here at English Cufflinks) definitely not. We have already seen a drop in business due to customers not having the confidence that their order will arrive on time. If the strike goes ahead this can only get worse. We are actually putting in place an alternative delivery method which should be quicker than the existing post, but more expensive. Incidentally we will be unlikely to change back to Royal Mail. We will lose sales nevertheless as people will be less likely to even embark on an online shopping trip. Personally I blame privatisation. You can't expect to have a service that works economically for everyone if all the more profitable parts have already been sold off.

Cycling Cufflinks

2009-10-02T18:13:00.003+01:00

These silver cycling cufflinks are proving so popular that we are not finding as much time to go cycling as we would like. Too busy making the cufflinks

Trust - its a beautiful thing

2009-10-02T17:42:00.004+01:00

For an 'ecommerce store' (hate that phrase)we have a great deal of contact with the public on a one to one level. Our customers like to phone or email to discuss cufflink designs (and deadlines)and we like it too. It makes the whole process of distance selling more personal. The thing is that we are all told what a terrible place the world is, full of crooks and scoundrels ready to pounce on any weakness. Well this does'nt square with our experience. Virtually without exception our customers seem polite, understanding, discerning (obviously)and loyal. No really its true! ...

Dress Down Friday? - I don't think so

2009-04-02T10:31:00.009+01:00

You remember 'Dress Down Friday' when city types lounged about in chinos and open necked shirts at the end of the week because, well, there wasn't that much to do and besides if a client called then they would just have to hang on until Monday? Well there is a theory that in today's harsher climate, the city types that remain have sharpened up their act. Clients have been put on the endangered species list. They are fought over by sharply dressed professionals once again. Business is booming here at English Cufflinks. Sales are up and so are commissions for hand engraved and one-off custom cufflinks so perhaps 'Dress Down Friday' has been postponed for now.

Our New Toy

2008-05-12T10:05:00.011+01:00

We have a new toy which enables us to mechanically etch an image directly onto silver or gold cufflinks, which means we can transfer anything from a doodle on an envelope to a high resolution photo. The results are stunningly accurate and can also be used for engraving of any font. This does not replace beautiful hand engraved cufflinks but for some of the more contemporary angular fonts it has its place...

The Tail Wagging the Dog

2008-01-18T12:26:00.000Z

Its the new year and usually we get a bit of a lull; time to recharge and step back to re-evaluate the direction of English Cufflinks for the next twelve months and beyond.... but not so. We have been so busy this January with one-off bespoke commissions and a surprising number of corporate designs for new product launches and conventions on both sides of the Atlantic that we have'nt had a moment to spare. I must'nt grumble I suppose; against the backdrop of financial pundits predicting a poor year its a great start - it just has a slight feeling of the tail wagging the dog.

The photo by the way is an example of Laser Etching - a very versatile way of transfering detailed artwork into the polished surface of gold or silver

Self Branding

2007-05-15T12:34:00.001+01:00

We are making many many pairs of initial cufflinks at present, mostly in silver but a few in white gold, yellow gold and platinum.
Personalisation continues to be a really important part of peoples identity - a way of saying 'this is me'.
We are awash with mass produced items which are the same wherever we shop around the globe. Words like 'bespoke', 'handmade', 'one-off' and 'individual' are a refreshing antidote to all that is faceless and bland. And as for paying to display big companies logos for them (on our t-shirts and bags) - don't start me off!
Luckily there are plenty of individuals out there happy to put their trust in us to come up with designs that express just that - individuality.
...and for that I am genuinely grateful

Personal Taste

2006-03-24T08:17:00.000Z

Its great to be creating one-offs this week in a number of different forms showing yet again how important it is to put one's mark on the world. English cufflinks are just the messengers in most cases as customers ask for all manner of messages, dates, names and initials to be engraved on our cufflinks. Long live personalisation - the antidote to drab uniformity!

Finally something the Web is good at

2006-03-09T18:25:00.001Z

To be making and selling cufflinks is a ridiculously small niche. To find people who are looking for cufflinks is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Firstly, many people do not even wear shirts let alone double or single French cuff shirts. Then of the ones that do most are content with the 'novelty' end of cufflinks mostly gold or silver plated which we don't really get involved in. The Web is very good at focussing in on a small minority and talking directly to them, which as a maker (working in splendid isolation) is a boon. Now there are things the web is bad at but lets not dwell on the negative....

Tony Blair Undressed

2006-01-25T10:03:00.000Z

I saw Tony Blair's monthly press conference a few days ago and shockingly he was not wearing cufflinks. This is the first concrete evidence I have seen that he intends to stand down at the next election. He is obviously a man who has lost the will to even dress properly in the morning - a man preparing for retirement. Personally I think he has earnt it. No more 9 - 5 Tony

Personalised Cufflinks

2005-11-03T11:19:00.001Z

I have so many requests for personalised cufflinks at the moment. It seems that people want something unique. They want to stand out from the crowd and own or give special and precious objects of beauty. This type of work is very fulfilling for me so long may it last.

personalised cufflinks

Google Dependent?

2005-11-02T12:55:00.000Z

Google has had a major upheaval today. Some sites have gone up and some down. It just shows it does'nt pay to have all your eggs in one basket.
In our sector there are around thirty websites selling exclusively 'Cufflinks'. As from today none of them were appearing in the first three pages of Google UK. This can't represent effective and useful searching.

Mentioned in Dispatches

2005-10-21T17:41:00.000+01:00

Rather chuffed today to have had a mention on Gapingvoid in Hugh Macleod's fascinating piece on Global Microbrands. I have a sneaking suspicion I own one. If you are interested in taking on the world as a self-employed one man brand manager then read the discussion here.

Well, its a start...

2005-09-10T17:27:00.000+01:00

English Cufflinks is the webshop started three years ago to test a theory. That a small company could do the lot. Design, make, market and sustain.
My company Octave Design has been achieving most of the above for twenty years supplying jewellery to independent jewellers and larger groups up and down the UK and occasionaly the US. But the webshop was really an attempt to connect with the people! And it has done that on thousands of occasions in the last three years. When we supply a large company or group thats fine but there's no feedback. Since the webshop has been running we have had loads. But we need more! More exposure, more... conversation
So here we go with my first blog - goodness knows wether I will keep it up. Depends on the feedback so if you have anything to say on subjects such as self employment, arts and crafts, micro marketing, working from a remote rural location, jewellery design or ..well thats enough for now