Links of London frequently brought a playful idea into otherwise traditional gentleman’s accessories, and these Noughts & Crosses Amethyst Cufflinks are a particularly good example.

Each cufflink combines a sterling silver cross with a circular nought, joined by a traditional chain. At the centre of every end sits a polished purple amethyst cabochon, turning the familiar game of noughts and crosses into a compact piece of gemstone-set silver jewellery.

The result is playful without becoming oversized or theatrical: recognisable as a game motif on closer inspection, but still built around the proportions and construction of traditional double-ended cufflinks.

Vintage Links of London Noughts and Crosses amethyst cufflinks

Noughts and Crosses in Sterling Silver

The two ends deliberately use opposing forms.

The cross-shaped ends measure approximately 14mm × 14mm, while the circular noughts measure approximately 13mm in diameter.

Both are approximately 5mm thick, giving the cufflinks a substantial three-dimensional profile despite their relatively compact footprint.

The design therefore depends on contrast: angular crosses against smooth circles, linked together as a pair rather than repeated identically at both ends.

Sterling silver Links of London amethyst chain cufflinks

Purple Amethyst Cabochons

Each of the four cufflink ends is set with a small round purple amethyst cabochon measuring approximately 4mm in diameter.

The smooth domed gemstones sit at the centre of the polished sterling silver forms, introducing colour without overwhelming the geometric design.

Cabochon cutting also gives the stones a softer appearance than faceted gemstones, creating rounded purple centres that work particularly well against the sculptural X and O shapes.

Nought and cross cufflinks with purple cabochon gemstones

Traditional Double-Ended Chain Construction

The opposing ends are connected by sterling silver chains measuring approximately 17mm long.

This is a traditional cufflink construction: the chain passes through the buttonholes of a double cuff while allowing both decorative ends to remain visible.

In this design, the construction is especially appropriate because it allows the nought and cross to remain distinct parts of the same cufflink rather than forcing one motif to become merely a fastening.

Vintage Links of London cross cufflinks set with amethyst

Dimensions of a Surviving Pair

A surviving pair documented by Links London measures approximately:

• Cross ends: 14mm × 14mm
• Cross thickness: 5mm
• Nought ends: 13mm diameter
• Nought thickness: 5mm
• Amethyst cabochons: 4mm diameter
• Connecting chains: 17mm long
• Material: Sterling silver
• Gemstone: Amethyst

Links of London circular nought cufflinks with purple amethyst

A Surviving 1999 Hallmarked Pair

The surviving pair documented here is hallmarked LL, 925 with a date letter for 1999.

The hallmark dates this particular pair rather than establishing the first year in which the design was introduced.

Other Links of London Noughts & Crosses cufflinks are known to survive in plain silver, indicating that the basic X-and-O concept existed beyond this gemstone-set version.

The exact original catalogue title, product reference and retail price for the amethyst variation have not yet been recovered.

Sterling silver noughts and crosses cufflinks front view

A Playful Design with Traditional Proportions

What makes these cufflinks particularly successful is the balance between novelty and restraint.

The theme is unmistakably playful, but the materials and proportions remain conventional: sterling silver, small cabochon gemstones and a traditional chain construction.

That allows the design to work as genuine gentleman’s jewellery rather than simply as a novelty object.

Links of London 14mm cross cufflink with amethyst centre

Vintage Wear and Surviving Character

The pair documented here has been professionally cleaned and polished and is now bright and clean.

They were clearly worn and enjoyed in the past, and light marks remain across the silver surfaces, together with fine scratches to the backs of the cufflink ends.

For that reason, the pair is best described as being in average vintage condition rather than presented as an unusually pristine example.

Those traces of use are also part of the surviving history of the cufflinks: polished enough to show the design clearly, but not over-restored to erase every sign of their previous life.

Vintage 13mm circular cufflink end with purple gemstone

Documenting the Amethyst Noughts & Crosses Design

The surviving 1999 pair provides a useful reference for one of the more distinctive Links of London cufflink designs from the period.

The combination of geometric forms, purple cabochon amethysts and traditional chain construction gives the design an identity of its own within the wider Links of London gentleman’s accessories range.

Until an original catalogue record is recovered, Noughts & Crosses Amethyst Cufflinks remains the clearest descriptive name for the design: a pair of sterling silver X and O cufflinks, each side centred by a small purple amethyst.

Double-ended Links of London sterling silver chain cufflinks