Combed Slipware Cufflinks

Have been meaning to make some cufflinks for ages, and finally got round to it, as I was on a mission.
They are made out of Staffordshire combed slipware pottery shards, which you can find more information about on the lovely mudlarking blog here.

I don't use these shards very often as they are usually very thick, and need lots of grinding down before I can use them, which takes ages. I wish I had some proper lapidary machinery!

There were a few more technical challenges than I had imagined - especially while I was setting the shards. I had to find something that would hold them securely enough without damaging the mechanism, and after trying a few different methods ended up using some Thermo Loc which did the job nicely.

Anyway - here they are, the second picture shows the kind of shards they are made out of.

I'll be making more!

My very first cufflinks!