There comes a point when your son needs a proper shirt and a pair of cufflinks, and it usually arrives alongside a moment you want to mark. Son cufflinks printed with something from home are a way of being there without needing to say much. He may not make a speech about them, but he will know exactly who they came from every time he puts them on.
Milestones worth marking on his cuffs
Parents tend to reach for this gift at a handful of turning points:
- His 18th or 21st birthday, when he is stepping into adult occasions for the first time
- Graduation, especially if there is a formal dinner or ball
- His first proper job, when he is learning to dress for it
- Leaving home or moving abroad, as something small that travels easily
- His wedding morning, handed over while he is getting ready
Each one calls for a slightly different design, so it is worth thinking about where he will actually wear them. Son cufflinks for a graduation ball can be playful, perhaps a photo of him in his first school uniform next to the date of his degree ceremony. For a new job, something more discreet, such as his initials in your handwriting or a small picture of the family home, will sit comfortably in an office. And if he is heading overseas, a picture of the view from his bedroom window or the local beach he grew up on is a gentle way of packing a piece of home in his suitcase.
Raiding the family albums
This is where personalised son cufflinks become something he will keep. Ideas we love:
- A photo of him as a toddler, perhaps in wellies on the beach or asleep in his car seat
- His first school photo, complete with gappy smile
- A picture he drew at primary school that you still have in a folder
- Your handwriting on one design, your partner's on another: "Love, Mum" and "Love, Dad"
- The family pet he grew up with
- A picture of your house or the street where he grew up
If you want the cufflinks to feel smart enough for a wedding, a black and white childhood photo is a good compromise: sentimental, but understated on the cuff.
A gift from his parents on his wedding day
Many sons receive cufflinks from their parents on the morning they get married. If that is your plan, consider a picture of him as a boy alongside the date of the wedding. Because you can put several designs in one basket, you could also order matching or complementary pairs for his best man, his brothers and his father, with the whole order made together. Five pairs or more are £15 each, plus £5 shipping per order.
Scanning and cropping old prints
Most of the best childhood photos only exist on paper. To get them ready:
- Take the print out of its frame or album sleeve to avoid glare.
- Scan it at a high resolution, or photograph it in daylight near a window, holding your phone directly above it.
- Crop close to his face so the image fills the square.
- Check for dust marks and fading, and adjust brightness gently in any photo app.
Old colour prints often turn orange with age, so switching to black and white can rescue them beautifully. We print from the full-resolution file you upload, so a careful scan is worth the extra five minutes.
Ordering from Mum and Dad
Upload your photo and the live preview shows it on both cufflinks. Drag it into position and zoom until his face or your message sits right, then check out securely. One pair on its own is £40, delivery included. Each pair is made in our Cornwall workshop and arrives gift boxed, so it is ready to hand to him with a card from you both. However grown up he is now, a pair of son cufflinks chosen by his parents tends to become one of those things he keeps long after the shirts have gone.