Bringing History Back to Life: Restoring a 1995 Pair of Links of London Concord Cufflinks

At Links London, we are passionate about reviving iconic vintage and retro jewellery, ensuring these pieces are preserved, restored, and ready to be worn once again. Today, we’re diving into the restoration of a stunning pair of 1995 Links of London Concord cufflinks—a timeless aviation-inspired design linked to the legendary British Airways Concorde.

These cufflinks, hallmarked in Sheffield, 1995, are among the earliest Links of London pieces we’ve come across and are unique in that most Links of London jewellery was hallmarked in Edinburgh. This early sterling silver design features a highly polished oval backplate and a miniature Concorde airplane, connected by classic cufflink chain links. After nearly 30 years of storage, they needed some professional restoration to bring them back to their former glory.

Links London Workshop

Restoring the Vintage Concord Cufflinks

Step 1: Assessing the Condition

Unlike many vintage jewellery pieces, cufflinks often experience less wear due to their occasional use. These Concord cufflinks showed minimal damage but had significant tarnishing and light surface scratches, most likely caused by storage rather than regular wear. Our goal was to retain as much original silver as possible while achieving a mirror finish worthy of such an iconic aviation piece.

Step 2: Barrel Polishing – The First Clean

The first stage of restoration involved placing the cufflinks into a ceramic barrel polisher. The ceramic media is abrasive, gently removing tarnish and surface marks while evening out the metal. However, this process leaves the silver with a dull matte finish, so it was time for the next step.

Barrel Polisher filled with ceramic media

Vintage 1995 Links of London Concord Cufflinks Barrel Polishing

Vintage 1995 Links of London Concord Cufflinks after pre polishing

Step 3: Steel Shot Polishing – Brightening the Silver

Next, the cufflinks were polished in a barrel with stainless steel mixed shot—a combination of pins, balls, and satellite-shaped steel pieces that burnish the silver rather than cut it. This process is centuries old and traditionally done by hand, but using mechanical tumbling allows us to achieve a uniform bright satin finish. Some manufacturers stop here, but for Links London, this wasn’t enough—we needed a flawless mirror finish.

Steel shot polishing process for Concord cufflinks

Vintage 1995 Links of London Concord Cufflinks Barrel Polishing

Cufflinks inside ceramic media barrel polisher

Links of London Concord cufflinks mid-restoration

Step 4: Hand Polishing – Achieving Perfection

Once the mechanical polishing was complete, we moved to hand finishing. Using a soft mop polishing wheel and Hyfin polish, originally designed for stainless steel but exceptionally effective on sterling silver, we refined the finish to a deep mirror shine. The oval backs, chains, and intricate Concorde details were all brought to life, restoring them to a like-new condition—if not better than when they were first sold!

Jeweller hand-polishing Concord cufflinks on a polishing machine

Jeweller hand-polishing Concord cufflinks on a polishing machine

Highly polished Concord plane detail after restoration

Mirror-finished oval cufflink backs after restoration

Vintage 1995 Links of London Concord Cufflinks Ultrasonic Cleaning

Jeweller working on the Concord cufflinks restoration process

The Legacy of the Links of London Concord Cufflinks

These cufflinks have an intriguing history. While many Links of London pieces were sold in their own branded packaging, these were reportedly sold with British Airways Concorde-themed packaging, suggesting they may have been available onboard Concorde flights or in duty-free stores. Unfortunately, this set arrived without its original packaging, so we’ll be placing them in vintage Links of London packaging, ensuring they are stored safely for their next owner.

Vintage 1995 Links of London Concord Cufflinks Inspection

Whether you’re a collector of aviation memorabilia, a vintage jewellery enthusiast, or simply someone who appreciates exceptional craftsmanship, these cufflinks are a rare and timeless piece of British design history.

Bringing Vintage Jewellery Back to Life at Links London

At Links London, we specialise in restoring, preserving, and reselling original vintage and retro Links of London pieces, ensuring their history and craftsmanship live on.

Would you like to see more behind-the-scenes restoration content? Subscribe to our Links London YouTube channel for more videos showcasing the restoration and revival of classic jewellery pieces.

💎 Explore our latest restorations in The Vault → Links.London/TheVault