Fifty, and dressed for the occasion
A fiftieth usually comes with a proper celebration – a dinner, a party in the village hall, a weekend away with the people who've known him longest. It's a birthday he'll probably wear a good shirt for, which makes 50th birthday cufflinks a present he can put to use on the day itself. Whether they come from his wife, his grown-up children, a sibling or an old friend, the picture on the cuffs says you thought about him specifically, not about fifty-year-old men in general.
Designs that nod to half a century
Fifty years gives you plenty to draw on. These are some directions that work well for 50th birthday cufflinks:
- Then and now. A photo of him as a boy – school uniform, first bike, shorts on a Cornish beach – makes a lovely contrast with the man opening the box.
- A lifelong passion. The crest of the football club he's supported for decades, or the first guitar he ever saved up for.
- The family he's built. A recent photo of his children or grandchildren, cropped close so every face is clear.
- A simple "50". A bold numeral in a classic typeface, perhaps with his initials underneath, is understated and elegant for a man who dislikes a fuss.
- His own handwriting. Photograph his signature from an old letter or card and turn it into a monogram that is his alone.
Working with photographs from the 1970s and 80s
Pictures from his childhood are likely to be prints, slides or instant photos, and they may look a bit tired. That's part of their charm, but a few steps help them print well:
Photograph or scan the print in soft daylight, without flash. Crop away the borders and anything that isn't the main subject. If the colours have drifted towards orange or green, a basic edit on your phone – reducing warmth, lifting brightness slightly – can bring them back. Some people prefer to turn an old photo black and white, which hides any colour cast and gives a timeless feel.
Then upload the best version you have. We print from the full-resolution file, so avoid sending a screenshot of a photo when you have the original to hand.
If the only copy belongs to his mum or an aunt, ask them to photograph it for you rather than posting the precious print across the country. A phone held steady above the photo, near a window on a bright day, is all it takes – and it gives them a quiet role in the surprise, which older relatives usually love. Ask for the file to be sent as a document or by email where possible, as some messaging apps shrink pictures on the way through.
Pairs for the top table
Big birthdays often mean a big gathering, and the cufflinks can go further than one gift. Some families order matching pairs for his brothers, or for the sons and sons-in-law, so everyone at the top table wears the same picture in his honour. From five pairs, the price is £15 a pair with £5 shipping per order, so five pairs cost £80 in total. Different designs can go in the same basket, so the birthday man can have a version all of his own. A single pair is £40 with shipping included.
Wearing them well
A polished silver-coloured finish sits comfortably with almost anything he's likely to wear to his party: a white or pale blue double-cuff shirt, a navy or charcoal suit, or a dinner jacket if the celebration is black tie. Because the design is printed on a clean square face, it looks tidy whether the image is a colourful family photo or a simple monogram.
From your upload to his cuffs
Choose your image and upload it. The live preview places it on both cufflinks; drag it to move the focus and zoom to fill the square. When the preview looks right, check out securely. Your 50th birthday cufflinks are made in Cornwall, where we have been making personalised gifts for 17 years, and they arrive in a gift box ready for the celebration.