Obsidian Oval Cuff Links

Cuff links built around an oval of obsidian, capped at each end by a silver disc. The obsidian is the focus, its glassy black surface framed and held by the discs so that the native stone reads as the body of the piece and the silver as its mount.

Obsidian was among the local Mexican materials Spratling worked from the beginning, prized for the way its dark surface catches light against metal. Men's accessories like cuff links were part of the broad personal-object range his workshop produced.

With no recorded reference and the obsidian-and-silver pairing the main fact, this is a clean, restrained example of Spratling's use of native stone in a small functional object. Cuff links of this kind survive in modest numbers.