This handsome pair of cuff links features vintage MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) transit tokens, with the image of a Boston rapid transit vehicle on the front. Minted in 1988, these authentic tokens are soldered onto brass bases and given an antique finish.

About Astali:

ASTALI Jewelry is designed and hand-made by Los Angeles-based artist, Shannon De Jong. Since her childhood in rural Iowa, she has been collecting discarded objects and re-purposing them into something new and useful. She eventually began to customize jewelry and would find ways to turn just about anything into an adornment. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1997, Shannon has cultivated her passion for both music and jewelry. By night she performed with rock bands on her violin and viola. By day she worked behind the scenes for many successful L.A. jewelry designers. She worked her way from production to sample-making, to design, and then onto the management of both design and production teams. She always kept a home studio to refine her skills and design concepts. Her double life as a designer-by-day and rocker-by-night culminated in the birth of a line attributed to an alter-ego she named Jack Astali. As the line evolved, its subversive, rebellious nature emerged. Hallmarks of ASTALI designs include rugged and unexpected materials - bullet casings, fool's gold, snake vertebrae, buffalo teeth, vintage peepshow tokens, porcupine quills, reclaimed wood, and much more.ASTALI became a full-time endeavor when Shannon moved to New York in the Fall of 2008. After establishing her brand for 3 years on the East Coast, she has returned "home" to Los Angeles to build on that momentum from sunny California. She continues to re-purpose the objects she collects, finding inspiration equally at Natural History museums and flea markets. When she is not making jewelry, Shannon is usually hanging out with her 6-year-old son, California Jones, who loves exploring in her studio. She also shares her workspace with 4 chinchillas that have been along for her ride since the beginning.