The Leveller

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series....

Whenever I wear today’s links I am always asked if I am a builder, architect or engineer.  I am happy to say that I am none of these noble professions but I do certainly engage and rely on their expertise on most working days.  So hats off to all you engineers, architects and builders.

I wish that I had these links when I climbed the leaning Tower of Pisa a long time ago.  The Tower was actually closed for some 11 years for safety reasons and is now again open to the public.  Engineers, architects and builders jointly saved the structure from further leaning by the removal of 70 metric tons of dirt from the eastern foundations of the building.  They say it is the most photographed building in the world and most certainly the most recognised.  These links would have helped in determining the exact degree of lean that the poor old tower has been subjected to in the last five centuries.  FYI it is 3.97°.

Other times that these links are handy is on that jet flight on a steep descent, or to assess the grade of a topographic built feature or on that cable car ride in San Fransisco!!!!

Today’s links are stainless steel tubes with light green glass spirit levels.  Bought from a jeweller that was closing down I managed to grab these on the last day the store was open.  Of course I was asked by the shop keeper...” Are you an architect, engineer or a builder?”……I guess I will always be subject to that question.

Til later


ONWARD

Smiling Irish Eyes..........$95

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series....

Your scribes Grandmother was a proud woman from the Irish isles.  She drank an espresso every morning with a pinch of salt and drank a Guinness every afternoon at about sunset.  This formula and some strong Irish genes saw her and her two spinster sisters all live in to their late nineties.  As young ladies the Kelly girls jumped on to a boat to look for a better life to possibly the furthest place from Ireland.

They lived through two great wars, the Depression, and countless other milestones of the 20th century….they were a formidable trio.  Formidable.

Today we celebrate all things Irish with the Claddagh which is the Irish symbol of friendship, love and marriage.  Traditionally the Claddagh which is a representation of two hands holding a heart with a crown is worn as a ring.  It is quiet distinctive and very very Irish.  And renowned internationally.   Many a teenage girl has treasured a Claddagh ring as a friendship ring. 

Today’s links are antique solid silver Claddaghs that were found in an antique store in Sydney Australia.  I couldn’t resist them and I think of those Kelly girls every time I wear them.  They are worn with a tailored cotton shirt and a silk Nina Ricci neck tie.

Our link man for today is a tribute to all things Irish…..Pierce Brosnan.  As James Bond (Supremo Link Man!!) from 1995-2004, he gave the James Bond character some needed flair and compassion and played the role four times before moving on to bigger and better things.  He is a tireless campaigner for worthy environmental causes, UNICEF and gay rights.  Arise Pierce Brosnan our Link Man for the day



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Individualism versus Collectivism..........$50

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series....

Today we again look at art deco amd architecture, in particular the works of Frank Lloyd Wright.  FLW was the greatest of the architectural pioneers of the twentieth century with thousand of designs and 300 odd buildings still standing and paying tribute to him.  Of the Architecture Institute of the USA’s top 100 buildings FLW has 12 amongst the list.  True genius and a hero to your scribe….

Today’s links are from Chicago and as you all know this scribe has a passion for art deco architecture and art deco cuff link bling. The links are gold plate with small black enamel inlays and come from a thrift shop on the south side of Chicago.  They embody the art deco spirit of Chicago.  They are worn today with a Brooks Brothers cotton shirt and an Ermengildo Zegna silk neck tie.

For those of you who have been to Chicago, the spiritual home of President Obama and FLW, it is one of the most beautiful cities architecturally in the world.  Street after street you will marvel at the art deco monuments to mankind and progress from the 1920’s to the 1940’s.  Walking the streets of Chicago take  you back in time to a world that was full of hope and embraced a boldness for technology and the built form that we could well do to see again.

When in Chicago it is well worth the time to take a tour of the residential homes and private residences that FLW designed.  There are literally dozens and all of them sites (and sights) to behold.  And also take time to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservacy on West Jackson Street.

Your scribe only insisted on two particular games as his children were growing up….Monopoly and Lego.  Monopoly is perhaps the greatest training ground for all modern day developers, architects and real estate people!!!  Lego of cause is just plain old fun but it is even more fun if you’re recreating the world of Frank Lloyd Wright!!!!


 

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Real Democracy..........$45

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series....

Each year on January 26 the results of one of the world’s truly great and authentic democratic processes announces its results….The Triple J Hottest 100.  Started in 1989, it is an annual music poll conducted by the Australian national broadcaster the ABC though its station 2 JJJ to determine what the listening public’s favourite songs are for the previous year.  Polling takes place over a period of four weeks and this year on line votes reached nearly 2 million people and is claimed by 2 JJJ as the largest poll of its type in the world.

Listeners from all over the world tune in on the day to hear the station count down the hits over an 8 hour period.  To be in the top 10 is considered an honour in music circles and almost guarantees notoriety for the band or performer.  Across the globe, thousands of Hottest 100 parties start at the number 100 entry and finish 8 hours later with the announcement of the Number One tune for the previous year.  Over the years the esteemed line up has included Nirvana, Powderfinger, Jet, Queens of the Stone Age, Joy Division to name a select few.

As a process, it is true online musical democracy in action and it is power to the people.  Long live the Hottest 100 a truly great event.

Today’s links are in the novelty category again but they are fine way to celebrate this wonderful annual event.  The links are brushed aluminium and in the shape of a Treble Clef or sometimes know as the “G Clef”.  They are worn with cotton Savile Row shirt and silk Hermes neck tie with French horn motifs.

This year the coveted number one went to Gotye for “Somebody I Used to Know” a duet with singer Kimbra a worthy winner but credit to all the performers that made it in to the top 100 for 2011.


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A Gentleman's Lot..........SOLD

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series....

The French say that a gentleman always has four vices….and today’s cuff links are representations of these four vices. They are French antique silver with two sided links with enamel motifs and worn with a cotton Brooks Brothers shirt and a Sergio Alvajee silk neck tie.

Fine Champagne- There is a saying that “beer is for boys, wine is for men and champagne is for heroes” and your scribe, although only a hero in a few peoples eyes, loves the stuff.  If it’s called champagne and then it comes from Champagne, a region of France to the north east of Paris and is something that should be drunk on every possible occasion!!!!  There are many fine Champagne Houses but your scribe likes nothing better than a slightly chilled bottle of La Grande Dame from the House of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin around sunset.

Cards- Wearing ones lucky cuff links, a short game of Cemin de Fer when in Atlantic City between fine dining and the odd show is one of life’s pleasures.   I say short game, as one must always remember that the “punters” arrive in limousines and leave by bus…..the owners of the casinos on the otherhand  arrive in limousines and leave in Lear Jets….the odds are always stacked against you but the odd game for the Link Man on the prowl is perfectly allowable.

Horse Racing- The sport of Kings has three favourite venues for your scribe. Churchill Downs in Louiseville Kentucky, Royal Randwick in Sydney and Royal Ascot just south of Windsor.  Mark your calendar NOW….The AJC Derby at Royal Randwick in March, Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in May and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes run at Royal Ascot in July.

Show Girls- Your scribe knows that discretion is the better part of valour but suffice to say that there is nothing wrong for a young Link Man on the prowl to have a healthy fascination with show girls…..



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Onward

Hamburg..........SOLD

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series....

If you are lucky enough to travel to Hamburg there are two magnificent things to look out for…..the new Hamburg Opera House that is under construction and it’s International Airport.

Hamburg boasts one of the oldest and longest running opera companies in the world, the Hamburg State Opera and with Australian Simone Young at the helm, they can also boast one of the finest.  She is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and is considered the preeminent Maestro in the world of Opera.  One can only hope that when they open the new opera house designed by Herzog & de Meuron, that she will be there waiving the baton.

While cuff links are not strictly in the wardrobe of all conductors, I am sure that Maestro Young has had occasion to wear them at the rostrum.  She is your scribes hero(ine) and our Link Person of the day.

 Now back to airports……Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel Airport is one of Germanys finest and always a pleasure to travel through.  Excellent facilities and close proximity to the main city equates to a good travel experience all in all.  One thing that your scribe also likes best is that Hamburg is one of the few airports in the world that has been replicated in a “mini world” tourist facility at the famous Miniatur Wunderland.  The model at some 1,600 square feet in size boasts approximately 40,000 lights, 15,000 figurines, 500 cars, 10,000 trees, 50 trains, 1000 wagons, 100 signals, 200 switches and 300 buildings.  If the asset manager at the airport ever has any major problems at the airport he can always head to Miniatur Wunderland and hide there for a couple of days!!!!!

Today’s cuff links are stainless steel airplanes and are Hamburg bound.  They are worn with a Savile Row cotton shirt and silk Gene Meyer of New York tie.


Til Later


Onward

Aragato Mr Roboto..........$65

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series....

The gift links received during the festive season can always be wrought with danger…..novelty links that can cause embarrassment, links that would befit a bordello owner in Macao rather than the staid world of business in which you work, ones that have to be worn to save face as they were a gift from a special friend or perhaps the confusion of football teams when you receive Manchester United links instead of the Manchester City links of your favourite team….today’s gift links are an exception, as they are worn with pride and they always attract comment….The Robot Man links.

1960’s tin toys from Japan and China are a steady investment market for the collector of ephemera and there a series of classic robots that have always intrigued this scribe.  Klaatu comes to mind from The Day the Earth Stood Still or perhaps the Class M-3 Model B9 “Robot” aboard the Jupiter 2 Lost in Space…..”Danger Will Robinson….Danger”.

Today’s links depict the “Smoking Space Man” Robot that was a popular tin toy from about 1963. One catalogue describes him thus….”Tremble before the mighty Smoking Robot”.  The original toy actually released smoke that puffed from his mouth whenever he paused in his stride.  There was a mechanism that caused wispy little clouds from a heated wire that made contact with a bit of cotton doused in oil. So much for occupational health and safety back in the day!!!!

Original Smoking Robot Tin Toy

Today’s links are a depiction of the Smoking Space Man in chrome.  They are guaranteed to tear suits, ladder your lady friends stockings, get caught in cords and wires, scratch your mahogany dining table and any other number of atrocities that only cumbersome cuff links can….yet they are true masterpieces.

I leave you with the lyrics of the Styx song from the early 80’s (in Japanese of course)

Domo Arogato Mr Roboto…..

Til later


ONWARD

Mother of Pearl..........$100

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series....

Today’s links are from the souks of Damascus and they were found literally a stones throw from the mosque that holds the head of John the Baptist.  John prepared the way for the Lord as they said in the musical Godspell and is a prophet of no less than three religions….what a guy.

He did however come to a sticky when Salome and Herod had his head on a plate, so to speak.  I’ve seen the head at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, shown below, and I am happy to believe that it’s good ol’ John. 

The cuff links are antique patterned silver and are in laid with mother of pearl and were found in the silver market of the

Damascus Street

of Straights.  The ancient silver seller told me they were likely left behind by the “men from the war”……after some prodding I discovered he didn’t mean the conflicts with Iraq or the other direct neighbours of Syria, nor World War II but The Great War of 1914-18!!!!

Today’s lovely links from Damascus are worn with a pink striped cotton Savile Row shirt and sky blue silk Burberry neck tie. 

Mother of Pearl brings me to one of the suavest Link Men alive…Brian Ferry….

“Oh Mother of Pearl

So, so semiprecious

In your detached world

Oh Mother of Pearl, I wouldn't trade you for another girl”

Mother of Pearl – Roxy Music Stranded LP 1973

Arise Brian Ferry CBE, our Link Man today.

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ONWARD

There's gold in them there hills...............$100

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series....

Resources and mining have carried a number of economies over the past few years post GFC (and to the cynics pre GFC”2”)….none has relied on this sector more so than Australia.  The world’s largest continent is a veritable treasure trove of precious, dirty, radioactive, caustic metals and minerals. Australia boasts the largest deposits of uranium, iron ore, gold, diamonds and bauxite found anywhere else on the planet.  You literally stick a shovel in the ground and strike something in Australia….there literally is gold in them there hills….

In bauxite, Australia alone accounts for 30% of the world’s production and Australia’s bauxite mining industry generated volumes of 9 million tonnes valued at A$1.91 billion in 2011.  More than 85% of the bauxite mined globally is converted to alumina for the production of aluminium metal. Australia also happens to be one of the world’s largest aluminium producers.  Mining bauxite is a grubby affair but with these kinds of volumes and the fact that the bauxite industry accounts for over 12,000 direct jobs in Australia it is very serious business.

Today’s cuff links are in the 70’s “kitsch” category and were a gift to your scribe from a major player in the bauxite game.  They are bauxite pebbles set in resin and housed in….you guessed it aluminium!  Worn with a Brooks Brothers shirt they are beautifully off set with a copper toned Gucci silk neck tie.

Our honorary Link Person of the day is of course Mae West, who with her cleavage showing off her greatest assets, in a slow murmuring purr looking down her low cut dress and said…”There’s gold in them there hills”…..

 Enough said........


ONWARDS

Mad Dogs and Englishmen

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series....

Nothing epitomises Englishness than a smart set of brogues, a lovely woollen tailored pin stripe suit, a Jermyn Street shirt and a silk neck tie. If you’re ready for it a bowler and a wooden frame umbrella( Profumo style) will all top it off.

Having spent some time in Moscow, I managed to visit the crypt of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and who should be buried behind Lenin’s Tomb but Kim Philby.  Kim Philby, Donald McLean, Guy Burgess and Sir Anthony Blunt were known as the “Cambridge Four”.  They were alleged double agent Soviet spies and were recruited by the KGB whilst studying at Cambridge.  They led double agent lives to which some consider them traitors and yet others saw them as patriots.

 There is a wonderful portrayal of one of the Cambridge Four spy ring, Guy Burgess in “An Englishman Abroad” with Alan Bates as the lead role, and looking very dapper above.  “GB” as he was called defected to Moscow with Don McLean and Kim Philby in the 60’s. GB was a Flash Harry but found living in Moscow in the 60’s somewhat limiting in terms of fashion, that is until he meets the beautiful Corale Browne who is on a Russian tour of Hamlet.  Corale actually plays herself in the part.  Feeling sorry for GB, on her return to London she manages to organise a complete wardrobe for him from the shoes up.  The final scene is superb in which he walks across a Moscow bridge resplendent in his new complete outfit to the tune of “He is an Englishman”.
 
Now where were we??? Englishness…..and yes I would imagine that Paul Smith would most certainly have been part of ol’GB’s new outfit in An Englishman Abroad.  Paul Smith epitomises all things English and is a home grown fashion icon in the UK.  His distinctive style has been seen branded on Mini cars and his line covers all the things that a link man (or indeed GB) might need for every day business or leisure.

Today’s links continue our theme of branded fashion guru links. They are worn with silk Balarinji silk neck tie and Egyptian cotton tailored shirt.

Paul Smith at large…..our fashion guru and Link Man for today.


Til later


Onward

Branding..........$45

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series....

Your scribe has never been quite sure if some luxury goods are blatant product endorsement or some sort of weird or esoteric wonderful high end “home brand” concept. One could devote an entire blog to brands alone but suffice to say everyday life would be somewhat different without brand and logo placements everywhere you go.

Repo Man (above) and Josie and the Pussycats (below) are two of your scribes favourite brand placement movies (see also Gold Swank entry under this esteemed blogosphere). Repo Man had none of course with the exception of home brands on all the labels and Josie and the Pussycats was littered with unashamed and blatant brand placements.

 Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton were both outstanding in Repo Man, the independent sci-fi low budget action flick masterpiece that has entered the midnight screening cult status that it deserves. It was a fabulous parody of brands and logos. Also the Iggy Pop main theme song is guaranteed to get any party started!!!

I often quote Harry Dean Stanton from Repo Man to my colleagues…. “See those people over there….they’re ordinary people…the life of a repo man* is always intense…a repo man* spends his life getting into intense situations”(* please insert current subject career situation)

Today’s links are from the world of fashions greatest self promoter and luxury goods icon Gianni Versace (RIP)…..there wasn’t a piece that was not self aggrandisement and sheer quality was guaranteed when it had Gianni’s name to it. Shot dead in his absolute prime at the age of 50, a true artist and one of the great fashion designers was taken from us before his time. Gianni perfected the art of brand promotion through his various lines.

Worn today with Versace V2 silk neck tie and cotton Versace shirt.


Til Later


ONWARD

Tiffany..........$200

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series....

Your scribe's Goddaughter is one of the luckier women on the planet. At each milestone birthday or significant event a Tiffany Blue Box appears….as if by magic. The tradition started the day she was born and has managed to keep your scribe bereft of cash as each milestone or life event approaches. Now at university, I can only hope that she doesn’t decide to marry too soon!!!!

Your scribe has mentioned in the past the joy one feels from a gift that comes in a red Cartier box or a blue Tiffany box (Robins egg blue for those that have interest in such things)……but the giving and the smile received when you bestow the blue or red gift box is one of life’s pleasures.

One thing that has intrigued your scribe over the years is the motif on a number of Tiffany pieces that states “Please return to Tiffany and Co. New York” Its nice that they’re polite about you having lost a precious and expensive item of luxury jewellery but how many items turn up at 5th Avenue every year or, then again, how many people drop in to the Tiffany and Co HQ seeking that lost silver pendant or indeed cuff links????….I must try it sometime.

What also intrigued your scribe was the postal bill that must follow the return of these errant items to Tiffany. As we all know, the postal services of the world require return postage to be paid for by the recipient…..a thorough search of the annual accounts of Tiffany and Co ( NYSE:TFI) and not a mention of their “return items” postage bill.

Today’s cuff links are the in the gift category to your scribe some years ago from a dear friend. They are 925 solid silver Tiffany cuff links that the Tiffany and Co catalogue purports “With this popular motif one is never lost”….I guess if I’m ever lost or in a confused state in New York City, my cuff links will direct them to pack me off to 5th Avenue!!!!!

They are worn with a blue Nina Ricci silk neck tie and a tailored cotton shirt.



Til Later



ONWARD

Stamps..........$140

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series....

We all know that Loyalty programs are big business in the corporate world these days. Every buck you spend is recorded along with your credit card numbers, your personal details and all of your spending patterns…..a mother lode of information for marketers from airlines to super markets.

But back in the day from the 30’s to about the 60’s, loyalty programs were trading stamps based. You would receive your stamps at the check out or at the gas station and take them home and studiously lick the back of the stamps and paste them in to you “trading booklet”. Once your book was filled you could redeem you stamp collection from specific catalogues. It is purported that the S&H Green Stamps catalogue in the late sixties had the largest circulation of any publication in the United States and actually printed more stamps than the American Postal Service. You can see why today’s loyalty programs are such big business, they’re just on a modern and different level.

Today’s links  are in the currency genre because they represent instruments of value exchange; loyalty stamps.  They emanate from “Davey Crockett” loyalty stamps collected by your scribes mother as a gift to my father back in the late 60’s in Washington DC. They are metal plate with a silhouette of a gun totting Davey and his faithful hound. Worn with a tailored cotton shirt from Saigon and a Leonard silk tie from France with snail and cabbage motifs.

 Davey Crocket once boasted….. "I'm that same David Crockett, fresh from the backwoods, half-horse, half-alligator, a little touched with the snapping turtle; can wade the Mississippi, leap the Ohio, ride upon a streak of lightning, and slip without a scratch down a honey locust tree"

Good ol’ Davey Crockett was “King of the Wild Frontier” and was at one time or another a pioneer, a soldier, a trapper, an explorer, as well as a politician in the US House of Representatives. The King of the Wild Frontier died at the Alamo in 1836.

For those Pee Wee Herman fans out there (a Link Man himself), we all know that “there ain’t no basement in the Alamo”


Til Later



ONWARD

Waiting in Line..........$200

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series.....

We all know that patience is a virtue and none have shown more patience than HRH King Edward VII and the current Prince of Wales. Edward sat patiently for 60 years as the heir apparent to HRH Queen Victoria and was recently surpassed by the current Prince of Wales who has been heir apparent to HRH Queen Elizabeth for 63 years.

Today’s links continue this week's theme of currency…..they are a set of antique three penny pieces from the reign of King Edward VII that have been “linked” with a soldered small silver connecting band. They are worn with a Brooks Brothers Egyptian cotton shirt and silk Country Road tie with art deco motifs.

Of all the Royals past and present our Edward was the snappiest of them all….he has been attributed with a fashion sense that befits the Link Man, having made tweed and Homburg hats fashionable in the day and making men’s fashion the thing to talk about in Court and social circles. Like any good Link man would, he bestowed Royal Warrants on the most worthy champagne houses and cigar makers.

He was related in one way or another to every Royal House in Europe and was rumoured to have had fifty odd mistresses and liaisons including rumoured trysts with the actresses Lily Langtry and Sarah Bernhardt. His supposed illegitimate offspring, it has been conjectured, last in a Royal household to this day. He travelled more widely than any previous Monarchs, smoked countless cigarettes and cigars, drank Royal Warrant Cognac (before lunch!) and enjoyed the good life as only an heir apparent can. He died after a series of heart attacks in May 1910 and his funeral cortège in Windsor was attended by hundreds of thousands of his subjects.

HRH Edward VII of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King and Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India……..you are our Link Man of the Day.

Til Later


Onward

Indian Head Cent..........$145

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series.....

Today’s links take us for a walk down memory lane again with a set of 1906 “Indian Head Cent” coins set in gold plate. Whilst the coins appear to be gold they are in fact an alloy of copper and nickel. They were affectionately called the “nick” and are the precursor of the American “nickel” or five cent piece. The total production of the Indian Head Cent over its mintage from 1859-1909 was 1,849,648,000 pieces. It has always been a long time collectable piece as a coin but the Indian Head Cent has eventually entered the cuff link “space” in the past few years.

1906 wasn’t the most momentous of years in the United States but what cost you one dollar then is valued at about $24 today…..not sure if this fits in to your long investment evaluation framework but by your scribes standards, 105 years is a long time to wait for a return on your investment!!!

The coin depicts Liberty in an Indian head dress and today's cuff links are gold plate dress cuff links with the orginal 1906 Indian Head Cent coin inlaid. Worn with a tailored shirt and a Moschino silk tie.

Liberty as we know, stands tall and proud out there at Liberty Island just off Manhatten. You can also see smaller versions of her in the Luxembourg Gardens and on Swan Island, both in Paris.

Liberty’s famous lines are:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

 A few words that seem lost in our collective psyche these days as the plight of refugees have become largely ignored by those that govern us.

Til Later


ONWARD

Think I'll Buy Me a Lear Jet..........$85

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series.....

Whether it is a gauge of value, a means of exchange, a standard of worth or a store of your wealth…money will always stir emotions and even start wars. This weeks tribute is to that idiosyncratic form that effects all of our daily lives….your scribe will put his money where his mouth…he will watch the pennies and he will relish in that clinking clanking sound that makes the world go round.

Today your scribe pays tribute to that great Hollywood and Broadway Link Man, Joel Grey, who played on film and on screen the part of “Master of Ceremonies” in Cabaret. Cabaret set in Berlin in the 1930’s and based on the Christopher Isherwood book Good Bye Berlin, sees Berlin at its peak of extravagance and debauchery and is set against the looming backdrop of the Weimar Republic on the rise. Social history mixed with Hollywood 70’s musical makes for a heady mix.

The Master of Ceremonies (Joel Grey) coupled with Sally Bowles (Good ol’ Liza Minnelli) sing “Money makes the world go round” …..Pink Floyd mention that they might buy themselves a Lear Jet but Liza and Joel in cabaret go for the 14 karat yacht!!!!!!

Get a little, get a little…

Money money money money...

Mark, a yen, a buck or a pound,

That clinking, clanking, clunking sound,

Is all that makes the world go 'round,

It makes the world go 'round

Today’s links are a gift from a close financier friend that was on the trails to the Isle of Skye

last year and found these little beauties in a thrift shop there. They are gold plate with a sterling pound motif in blue glass. Worn with a tailored Egyptian cotton shirt and a Salvatore Ferragamo silk tie with a dolphin and anchor pattern

Til later

ONWARD

Mother Nature..........$165

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series.....

Your scribe spends most mornings Scanning the Financial Horizon and a recent article about climate catastrophes in Australia had me wondering about other mishaps landed on us by Mother Nature last year and the people at the front line when all of this occurs. In the past twelve months we have seen earthquakes, tsunamis, bush fires and volcano eruptions all which cause havoc on the local populations and disrupt everyday lives, literally for ever.

At the front line and always ready for such events are emergency service personnel, life savers, fire fighters, the police, the military and of course volunteers such as the State Emergency Services that are there fully trained, prepared and I am sure hoping that the worst never occurs. A big hooray for all of you that give you time and professional lives to such a noble cause.

Today’s cuff links are a tribute to them all. They are an antique solid silver pair of cuff links that come from the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. Or simply as you would see them everyday….The Order of St John. I found these cuff links on a trip to the Holy Land about 25 years ago and I have always pondered who the origianl owner was and his role in the Order……RIP and well done whoever you were…..PRO UTILITATE HOMINUM

The “Maltese Cross” as it is known is something to look for in any heraldic arms that you come across through most Commonwealth countries and it also forms the basis for the crests of most fire fighting units around the world……have a look!!

I would also like to pay tribute today to Mick Wilson of the Ambulance Helicopter Retrieval Service of NSW who was the first paramedic to die on duty in New South Wales (Australia) in 30 years. Condolences to his family.

Til Later


ONWARD

North to Alaska..........$75

One man’s mission to share with the world the fine art of cufflinks.

Each blog a different pair and each blog a different story.  Read on in this series.....

Your scribes Godfather was an Alaskan and for many years was a senior executive of Pan American Airways before the bankers took over one of the worlds great airlines.

Its logo was iconic and symbolised all things exotic in the world of travel…..from the Panama Canal or a “Clipper” to Key Largo this private airline founded in 1927 set the bench mark for all airlines for decades. The first Boeing 747’s were all Pan Am planes of which the second ever 747 built by Boeing is still in service to the day as a converted freighter. (The first is in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington by the way).

2001 A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick indicates what could have been for Pan Am in the coming age of space travel.

Cue in to “Also Sprach Zarathustra” by Richard Strauss and of course that most famous of phrases “Open the pod bay HAL”.

Now back to Alaska……my Godfather spent the majority of his life travelling and leading a life of adventure. Being Alaskan he also taught me to be aware and conscious of indigenous people wherever I went. Whether they be Australian Aborigines or the Ainu People of Japan. The Australians have a wonderful message that reads something like this:

"I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land we are meeting on and remind people that we are on their traditional land. I also acknowledge the Elders past and present of their people“

It’s worthwhile remembering these lines on your travels.

Today’s cuff links have a motif of the great Eskimo people of Alaska in memory of my dear Godfather. They are gold plate with blue enamel infill and are worn with a blue Ralph Lauren silk tie.



Til Later


ONWARD