Grandad cufflinks are the natural successor to the photos in his wallet. Many grandfathers grew up in an era when double cuffs were standard, and plenty still wear them for church, family occasions or the golf club dinner. A pair printed with the grandchildren gives those occasions a warm, personal twist, and gives him the perfect opening line when someone admires his cuffs.
A gift for the family's proudest man
Personalised grandad cufflinks are usually given:
- When a first grandchild arrives, as a "welcome to being Grandad" present.
- For his birthday – particularly 70, 80 or 90 – from all the grandchildren together.
- On Father's Day, from the grandchildren rather than his own children.
- At Christmas, when the whole family is gathered and there's a new photo to use.
- For a family wedding, so he has the grandchildren with him in the front row.
They also suit great-grandfathers, and step-grandads who've become an essential part of the family.
Picturing the grandchildren
The design depends partly on how many grandchildren there are:
- One or two grandchildren: a close-up portrait, or both faces cheek to cheek.
- Three or four: a tight group photo, heads together, taken specially for the purpose.
- A big brood: consider a pair for each family, or an image of their hands stacked together rather than faces.
- Grandad with the grandchildren: a picture from a day out – the beach, the allotment, the football – with him in it too.
- Their artwork: "Grandad" written in each grandchild's handwriting, or a drawing of him in his favourite chair.
It's worth taking a new photo specifically for the cufflinks, rather than hunting for an old one. Line the children up in good daylight, ask them to squeeze close together, and shoot several frames. At least one will have everyone looking at the camera.
Making faces clear for older eyes
Cufflinks are small, and grandads don't always have their reading glasses handy, so clarity matters more than detail. Crop so faces fill most of the square. Plain backgrounds help – a garden hedge or a painted wall is better than a busy living room. Bright, even lighting beats flash. Upload the original photo rather than one shared on social media, because we print from your full-resolution file and the original holds far more detail. If a colour photo looks cluttered, try a black-and-white version, which can make faces stand out more strongly.
Keeping a family memory close
For some grandads, the grandchildren are also a link to people who are no longer here. A photo of the grandchildren alongside a picture of Nan, or taken in her garden, can carry a great deal of meaning without anyone needing to explain it. Other families use the grandchildren's names set in a neat list, or the year each one was born, which has the advantage of growing with the family – when a new baby arrives, a new pair follows. However you design them, grandad cufflinks tend to become the pair he reaches for first, because they're the ones people ask about.
Pairs for every grandad in the family
Families with more than one grandfather – or a grandad and great-grandad – can order together. Order 5 or more pairs and each pair is £15, plus £5 shipping per order, and each pair can have its own design. That makes it simple to include both grandads, a great-grandad and perhaps Dad as well, all in the same basket. A single pair of grandad cufflinks costs £40 with shipping included.
Making his pair
- Upload the photo or drawing of the grandchildren.
- Check the live preview on both cufflinks, and drag and zoom so every face is clearly visible.
- Order through our secure checkout.
Each pair is made in our Cornwall workshop, where we've been making personalised gifts for 17 years, and comes gift boxed – ready for the grandchildren to hand over themselves.