Add some festive flair to your jewellery making this Christmas with these super cute ‘Christmas tree cufflinks’, a perfect self-indulgent gift for you or a cool stocking filler for someone really special!
Before you begin
- For this project we suggest our Assembled Cufflink Fittings to make the process quicker and easier.
- If you’re a beginner, we suggest our Starter Soldering Kit as it has everything you need to perfectly execute not just this project but lots of other beautiful jewellery pieces as well.
Step 1: Mark out the design
Using a Christmas tree template, draw around the design on the silver sheet with a scribe. Repeat, so you have two Christmas tree designs.
Step 2: Cut out and file
Cut the shapes carefully with a piercing saw. File until the edges are neat and even using a selection of needle files (a half-round needle file is ideal for getting into more inaccessible areas).
Step 3: Prepare for soldering
Paint flux on the centre of both trees, apply pallions of hard solder and place on the soldering block.
Paint flux on both cufflink bases and place on top of the solder pallions, using reverse action tweezers. Note the position of the cufflinks in the picture.
Step 4: Solder the tree to the base
Heat with a medium-sized flame, concentrating first on the tree itself before applying the flame to the base of the cufflink fitting. Rotate the flame around the seam area. As the solder flows, remove the heat, quench and place in the pickling bath.
Step 5: The finishing touches
Remove any excess solder with a selection of emery papers and needle files. Once all the solder has been removed, polish the cufflinks until a mirror finish is achieved. Finally, polish up the tree fronts with grade 60 emery paper, using a circular motion, to produce a glistening matt finish.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our article about how to make Christmas tree cufflinks. If you have any questions or want to know more, get in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We’d also love to see what you’ve been making so please share pictures of your creations with us too, tagging @Cooksongold!
Zoe Davidson Jewellery
Zoe Davidson draws much of the inspiration for her unique jewellery from Orkney’s seas, coastlines and rich history. She designs and makes all her pieces, mixing traditional silversmithing techniques with more unusual processes, including fold-forming and anti-clastic raising.