The Bound by Diamonds wrist cuffs are a lackluster attempt at making a glam, yet unintimidating set of cuffs for beginners. In the photos on the box, they do indeed look sexy. Unfortunately, in person they are not so wonderful. The "diamonds" are very cheap plastic rhinestones, stuck to webbing that was left raw and completely unfinished. The satin ribbon used to hold the cuffs closed won't hold against even the slightest struggle. The unfinished edges of the PVC are sharp, and chafe uncomfortably. Heck, the PVC itself that makes up the body of the cuffs is just plain uncomfortable, sticking to the skin, trapping perspiration, and chaffing all over the place. I cannot bring myself to recommend these to even beginners just trying out bondage for the first time; while they might give the suggestion of restraint, they will probably turn the users off of such play because they just aren't well designed.

These cuffs do have some slight potential for use in psychological bondage. Since even shifting position is often enough to loosen these cuffs, the restrainee can be told that they are not allowed to struggle enough to loosen the cuffs... or else!

As can be seen on the packaging, these can be used well in photography, as long as you stage your shots right. Make sure not to close in on the cuffs too much, though, or their lack of quality will become glaringly obvious.

The stock description provided by Cal Exotics makes me wonder if we're even talking about the same product:

"An exquisite collection of seductive fetish gear hand-crafted in soft supple patent leather, then adorned with lustrous white crystals"

This collection is far from exquisite. The body of the cuff is a double-layered rectangle cut out of PVC, with the edges left completely unfinished. They are slightly sharp all around - I can and have used the edge of the cuffs to scratch an itch. And left a red mark behind. The stitching is tight and mostly clean, though the ends of the thread were generally just left to hang, instead of being hidden.

A satin ribbon both ties the cuff closed, and serves as an attachment point for the little bolt clasp and D ring. The cut ends of the ribbon have been heat sealed to prevent fraying - unexpected, given the quality of the rest of the product, but nice. The ribbon is threaded through slits in the upper layer of the cuff. Like the outer edges, these slits are unfinished and let you see the back of the bottom piece of PVC.

Across the bridges of PVC where the ribbon threads are "diamonds" from which the set derives its name. These "lustrous white crystals" they mentioned? They're about the same quality I remember seeing on the jewelry my little sister played with when she was 3 years old. The base is a coarse, plasticized netting, with a black plastic ring on each intersection. In each ring is a little plastic "gem." It's made in large rolls, and can be quickly cut into various shapes for use as sparkly dress-up sparkles for a kid too young to be trusted with stuff they might swallow. Generally, when it's cut, the ends are covered or finished in some way. I guess that little bit of extra work was too much to expect.

The PVC itself is patent leather. It's shiny, it's slick, and it's not the most comfortable thing to have directly against your skin for very long. It will trap any perspiration and quickly begin to chafe. And? It smells. When these cuffs first came out of the package, they just about threw me into an asthma attack from the smell. After a few days, the smell had mostly dissipated, but even now, three weeks later, it still lingers.

The sizing is one plus. I'm a bit of a bird boned gal, and often have trouble finding cuffs small enough, especially for my wrists. These managed to fit both me and my much larger-boned boyfriend without a gap. Another plus? Those two bits of hardware are nickle free!

Otherwise, the design and craftsmanship of these cuffs left a lot to be desired. They just end up coming off as a cheap novelty.

This is where these cuffs fall completely, totally flat. The instant the restrainee begins to pull against the cuffs, that pretty satin ribbon begins to work its way loose. Should you go to re-tie the cuff tighter, you'll find that not only are the cuffs looser, but the knot you tied has tightened so much you'll be spending the next ten minutes trying to work it out.

Should you persevere and manage to get them to stay put, other problems arise. Because the clasps and D rings are threaded through the ribbon, pulling against the restraints puts pressure on the slits in the PVC. After minimal use, they have begun to distort, and in one place even to tear slightly. Also, the cuffs begin to chafe very quickly. Between the slick patent leather that sticks to the skin, and the sharp, unfinished edges, I had angry red marks on my wrists when I took these off. I hadn't struggled much, and we'd only left them on for 10 minutes.

The only arena where the Bound by Diamonds cuffs managed to even approach a passing grade was as photography props. In low lighting, with some careful positioning, I was able to get a few nice shots.

On the plus side, they looked kind of cool when I left them tied around the posts of my bed. If you have a thing for BDSM-themed interior decorating, these might just be the product for you! Wrap them around your bedposts! Your chair legs! Your tables! Your lamps! Use them as curtain tie-backs! Roll them up and use them as door stops! The possibilities are endless!

If nothing else, these cuffs area easy to care for. The body of the cuff can be wiped down with soapy water, then wiped or rinsed clean. Lay them flat to dry. If the ribbon gets gunked up, you can unlace it from the cuff and toss it in the washing machine and drier. They're not picky about storage, either. Just toss them in wherever you have space. Just be aware that they may pick up smells from anything around them.

The first time we tested these on me, I ended up with red, abraded patches from the edges rubbing against my skin. When we tested these a second time, I insisted on wearing a pair of opera gloves under the wrist cuffs, and a pair of cute knee socks under the ankle cuffs. They're that uncomfortable. If you like that kind of sensation, fine, but I like my cuffs to be comfortable. I want to be able to struggle against them at least a little bit without hurting myself or the cuffs. If I want to play with pretty, non-functional cuffs, I want them to be comfortable and not interfere with enjoying sex. These failed in either category. They're a prop, and not a very good one.