Tortoise Shell "Pretzel" Cuff Links

Cufflinks knotted into a pretzel form from tortoise shell show Spratling's pleasure in turning a material into a curl of line. The looping shape is the whole design, the warm translucence of the shell carrying it without any added ornament. The same motif was developed into a matching necklace and bracelet.

Working shell and other natural materials alongside silver was characteristic of the workshop, the same instinct that later had Spratling pairing ivory and abalone with metal in his Alaska designs (Morrill, p. 66).

That the pretzel motif extended into a necklace and bracelet makes these cufflinks part of a small suite, the kind of design family that rewards collectors assembling related pieces.