Women will never tire of decorating themselves. They always want to stand out from the crowd, look stylish, bright, elegant. Therefore, various kinds of jewelry have always been in great demand among the beautiful half of humanity. And one of the most ancient types of jewelry, and not only for women, but also for men, were cuffs.
A bit of history
So, cuffs are jewelry reminiscent of modern clips that were worn not only as earrings, but also in the way that we are now laying ears of glasses or a headset from a mobile phone. In most cases, in order to wear them, it was not at all necessary to pierce the lobes. In addition to the function of earrings, the decoration combined elements of hair clips or chains on the neck. Thus, cuff earrings for those who wore them, became a universal way to emphasize their beauty and originality. The very word came to us from the English language and translates as “cuffs”, “cuff”, i.e. something embracing something. Because another way of fastening is to grab the edge of the auricle with an open cuff ring.
For the first time they learned about cuffs by digging out ancient burial grounds and ancient settlements. They were made already in the Bronze Age, very skillfully making massive jewelry from gold. In the ancient world, in Ancient Egypt and India, cuffs were very popular. And to this day, Indian brides must include these jewelry in the national wedding dress, one edge of which is inserted into the hole as an earring, and the other, with beads and chains, pendants around the ear, is clamped on the upper part of the ear, throws itself over the head, woven into hairstyle, etc.
A great advantage of cuffs compared to standard earrings is that they can be massive, heavy - this does not at all delay the earlobe. And if we recall jewelry works of art that contain, in addition to gold, a large number of precious stones and are far from small in weight, it is clear why this type of jewelry was so popular in later eras until the 20th century.
In our time, cuffs are the prerogative of famous couturiers. They can be home-made, or factory, made of precious metals or ordinary wire, beads and all sorts of other improvised means. Models of all kinds, from imitating antique patterns to the most fantastic, in the style of “avant-garde”, can be found at social events, luxury events, cool fashion shows.
Another plus cuff is their democratic nature. Stylish jewelry can be made by yourself, at home, and a minimum is required for this.
Do it yourself
In order to make cuffs with your own hands, you will need several types of wire - white steel or colored copper, naturally thin enough to make the decoration look stylish and not rude. The length of the wire is about 40 centimeters. You also need different beads, colored glass, of course, with pre-made holes, maybe colored feathers and other accessories - depending on what kind of design for your earrings you came up with. Naturally, tools are also needed. You can make cuffs with your own hands using nippers and round-nose pliers.
- The process begins with the design of a curl-arm, which will be attached to the ear. To do this, from one end, the wire within 7 cm should be bent in the shape of the auricle. This should be done with round-nose pliers, only you need to try not to squeeze the blades too much so as not to leave chipping and damage the color coating.
- The next stage of how to make cuffs with your own hands is the free end of the wire that is neatly and evenly wound around the base, simultaneously making small loops at equal distance from each other. Hinges are needed for pendants - how many pendants, so many loops. They can be rolled up using the same pliers or by wrapping a wire around a match or a toothpick.
- The last item that allows you to make cuffs with your own hands is the manufacture of pendants. A thinner wire will be used - string beads, feathers, etc. on it. At one end, make a knot, and the other end with a hook. Insert the finished pendant into the eyelet on the earring.
Of course, this is the easiest option for cuffs. Their designs can be very different, very complex. It all depends on the imagination, skills and abilities that are acquired over time and the number of manufactured models.