Scored Tortoise Shell Cuff Links

Scored tortoise shell, mounted on silver, gives these cuff links a ribbed surface that catches light differently across the grain: the incised lines are the whole of the decoration, animating the warm shell against the bright metal beneath. It is a quiet, tailored design, the kind meant to read well at the cuff without shouting.

The design was a workshop staple. Per the existing record, the popular version with unscored shell, in a slightly larger size, appeared in all of Spratling's catalogs from the mid-1950s through 1967, marking it as a steady seller across the later years of production.

The cuff links are recorded in Phyllis M. Goddard's Spratling Silver: A Field Guide. The pairing of silver with tortoise shell is one of the most characteristic of Spratling's men's accessories, and examples remain collectible.