Lelo's silk Etherea cuffs are a thing of beauty. The soft suede and silk make these feel decadent, setting a deliciously wicked mood from the instant they are tied to wrists or ankles. While they can't be used for heavy restraint, they are perfect for people who want to playfully, seductively tie up their partner for some seriously luxurious playtime. They are easy enough to use and unintimidating enough for the newest beginners, but they are also a delightful addition to a jaded player's boudoir.

While I've tried a variety of Lelo's vibrators, this was my first encounter with their other products. I have to say, I'm very impressed. These very feminine cuffs come off as incredibly classy and elegant, whereas many for-show cuffs just end up tacky. The craftsmanship is, as with all Lelo products, superb.

The materials are part of what make this pair of cuffs so nice. On one side, they are buttery-soft suede; on the other, a subtle jacquard of silk. The long, flowing ties are also made of pure silk. The combination simply oozes luxury and begs to be touched.

The contouring of the edges helps them hug the wrists without tugging or gaping. The silk ties snug down into your knots and resist slipping. Overall, the design is wonderful... except for one thing. They are one size fits most and the smallest size they adjust down to is just over 6.5 inches. For most people, this will never pose a problem, but users like me who have very small wrists will find that these are ankle cuffs only. Theoretically, they can be adjusted up to any size, but after you reach about 10 inches they start to become uncomfortable. As long as your ankles are larger than 6.5 inches and your ankles are under 10 inches, you're good to go. While I love the idea of a perfect pair of multi-purpose cuffs, I would have preferred that they made separate wrist and ankle cuffs and made the wrist cuffs smaller.

Once I got the Etherea cuffs fitted around my ankles, they worked beautifully. They can be tied with either the silk or the suede in against the skin, though they appear to be intended to be worn suede side out. The ties can either be knotted on the side where they exit the cuff or can be wrapped around the sides to tie in the front. This gives a more elegant look, but reduces the amount of length you have for attaching the tie to things like chair arms and bed posts. Both the silk and the suede sides slipped a bit against the skin, but they were both so soft there was never any worry of abrading or pinching the skin. When adjusted to beyond around 10 inches, the knot begins to dig into the bindee, which rather ruins the otherwise soft and sensual experience of these cuffs.

As expected from the design, these cuffs will not hold up to serious escape attempts or moderate struggle. They will however stay in place for gentle mock-struggles and for sex (as long as you're not getting acrobatic).

A single cuff can, in a pinch, be used as a blindfold. It leaves a significant band of vision at the bottom, but when you've just got to blindfold someone and it's all you have on hand, it's better than nothing. For a visual effect only, it can be very pretty when tied across to cover a closed mouth.

Due to the materials (suede and pure silk), the packaging of these cuffs recommends that you dry clean them. They're not kidding. Washing these like a piece of clothing will ruin the beautiful look of these cuffs. Spot cleaning with gentle soap and water, or even just water, may ruin them. If anything gets on these cuffs, you need to take them to a dry cleaner. And if they get too nosy, say they're part of your Ren Fair costume.