The story of how one small object carried a lifetime of meaning across generations.
Wedding Photography by Catilin Kershaw Photography | @caitlinkershawphoto
In the 1940s, Lisa Collins’ father purchased a pair of elegant gold-and-onyx cufflinks — a small but ever-lasting treasure that would go on to become a precious family heirloom.
Lisa comes from a deeply rooted Catholic background, and her father was a proud member of the Knights of Columbus, a global Catholic fraternal service order founded in 1882. He bought the cufflinks for formal occasions, and over time, they became a signature piece for his Knights of Columbus attire.
The photograph of Lisa’s parents captures the memory perfectly: her father dressed up in a sharp tuxedo, the black and gold cufflinks completing his look. “I am very certain he wore them at those functions,” Lisa says. “He treasured them for decades, wearing them for life’s most important occasions.”
Her father owned two pairs — one of which had a serial number engraved on the side, offering some facts about the patent holder. Although her father was not the type to collect jewelry, these cufflinks were sacred in their own way, reserved exclusively for special nights such as the Knights’ annual formals and other meaningful achievements.
Photo credit: courtesy of Lisa Collins.
When her father passed away in 1990 at the age of eighty-six, Lisa’s mother entrusted the cufflinks to her for safekeeping. She kept them tucked away for years, a quiet reminder of her father’s memory. Then, decades later, the small gadgets would take on a new owner during the most important celebration of Lisa’s family — her daughter Caroline’s wedding in Newport.
While talking about the July ceremony, Caroline mentioned to her mother that she and her fiancé, Dawson, were searching for cufflinks to wear on the big day. “I have these here,” says Lisa without hesitation. She sent photos of the pair, and the couple was immediately in awe of their beauty and history.
The day before the wedding, while everyone was getting ready for the rehearsal dinner, Lisa presented the box that contained the cufflinks to the couple. “His whole family was so touched,” Lisa recalls. “It was not just a gift — it was a way of bringing my father’s presence into a milestone he would have cherished.” While the gesture was not planned, the spontaneity of it felt as though her father had nudged her to do it to ensure his granddaughter and now-grandson had a piece of him. Though many details about the cufflinks’ origins remain a mystery, their meaning has only deepened with time.
“Watching Dawson wear them as he promised to love and protect my daughter was profoundly moving,” says Lisa. It is a reminder of how heirlooms carry not only beauty, but also the love and values of those who came before.
Lisa’s story is one of legacy, love and proof that the smallest tokens can hold generations of memory and connection. She hopes those cufflinks continue their journey, passed down from one family member to another, carrying her father’s legacy into the future.
