One of the finest cuffs out there. A Really magnificent Ortega still showing the inside gold wash which helps release the bracelet from the pressing. The feathered headdress and the intricate swirls of flowers on each side show a masterful designer. It wows with a 5.25 inches height. The diameter of the bracelet is 2.5 inches by 3 inches up the arm. It can be professionally sized to fit at no charge. Pressed perfectly with no light holes or damage...

Swallows hold within their slender, elegant little bodies tender memories of my childhood in Greece - they are considered the most important harbingers of spring and symbolize regeneration, hope and the assurance that sun-filled days will always follow the darkest hours of winter. For the Victorians, they represented faithfulness and the promise of a loved-one's return and as a motif, they were widely used in sentimental jewelry...

The last example of a small Los Castillo "onix negro" jewelry collection I acquired a little time ago, this mod bracelet is perfect for the medium to smaller wrist. Its thick links remind me of mahjong tiles and I am captivated by their minimalist geometry. Easy to wear yet definitely a bracelet whose weight feels warm and familiar when you have it on - the perfect accessory to add that little bit of style to make it special. Measuring 6 3/8" long (wearable) by 1/2" wide it weighs 50.0 grams...

Gerardo Lopez is one of my favorite Taxco maestros. I believe his talent and workmanship to have been of the same caliber as that of his more famous contemporaries and I am always on the look out for his jewelry. Based on his work, I believe that he must have worked for at least the Los Castillo and/or Margot de Taxco and his prowess in the art of repoussage supports the hypothesis...

Based on an ancient glyph, or at least inspired by one, this vintage Los Castillo Mexican silver and azur-malachite inlay necklace is out of the workshop's "mozaico Azteca" line of jewelry. Centuries old, the technique became almost obsolete during the Colonial period but was revived by Chato Castillo, one of Taxco's most talented, innovative and original maestros...

Perfect for medium to smaller wrists, this modernist Erika Hult de Corral bracelet was made in Taxco in the 1960s-70s. One of the few female contributors to Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance that we know of, de Corral studied at the Parson's School of Design in Paris. An award-winning designer, she worked with Sigi Pineda and Enrique Ledesma before opening her own workshop...

Dating around 1930, this Mexican Deco Fred Davis necklace in a design that rarely comes up, is an early example of "mixed metals" jewelry. Combining repousse silver with copper wire and then bringing in ripe, saturated color with the amethyst cabs, the necklace is an ode to vineyards and aromatic red wine. Though the brooch of the parure appears in the third edition of Morrill's "Mexican Silver" (p. 28), the necklace is hard to find and I am thrilled to be presenting it here...

Here is a rare Los Castillo necklace design # 482A. The weight is pure lux at 85grams. Length of this treasure is 16 in. and it lays like silk. The links are strung on silver cable links. Correctly signed and with no damage. Certainly collector quality and perfect for fun or board room savy, just LOOK AT THAT NECKLACE!

In 1940 Spratling was commissioned to design the first logo for Aeromexico Airlines then known as Aeronaves de Mexico S.A. The design included a stylized eagle with serpent in its' beak along with AMSA. Penny Morrill's beautiful new book DREAMING IN SILVER (p.111 & 123)discusses this period and features the deeply carved and detailed pin based on Spratling's AMSA design. Measuring 1 1/4" X 1 1/4" the pin is in beautiful condition. The unusual pin closure/safety on the back is tight and secure...

The emerald Salvador Teran is one of the most sleek and rich designs from his body of work. The stones are raw uncut emerald crystals. The necklace diameter is 5.3 inches and the face front is .75 of an inch. The neck band is jointed for a perfect fit and the drop displayed for a straight forward look at the emeralds. It masterfully displays 72 grams of silver and is 18 inches of wearable length. The bracelet is 7 inches long and is also segmented for a perfect fit...

We have offered today a very early Antonio Pineda repousse brooch signed with his earliest hallmark of AP. The Quetzalcoatl is beautifully done and with no damage. The dimensions are 3in. long and 2 3/8th's tall at highest points. This size is perfect for holding a shawl together on a chilly night. The weight is 26 grams of thick silver. A very special treasure.

This ribbed Hector Aguilar Bracelet is a rare find with 104 grams of heft and a striking height of 1 3/4 inches. Perfectly hallmarked with an applied plaque. This treasure is well rounded fitting perfectly on the wrist. The diameter is 2 3/8 in. The 6 stones are a hidden surprise presenting to the one who wears it. No dents and versatile to wear with anything anywhere.

One of the most interesting - and few - female figures of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance, Doris Smith Chamberlin was a Texas-born American who decided to move to Mexico in the 1940s to open her own workshop after having completed post-graduate studies in art and having taught woodworking, textile-making and silver-smithing for a few years in California (I am grateful to Decotini for the information). In Mexico City, where she settled, she created and sold her own designs but also commission...

Dashing early modernist Mexican silver and amethyst earrings with the signature of the Los Ballesteros workshop, this set is a variation on the "clamshell" type of jewelry that was so popular with modernist Taxco maestros in the mid- to later 1940s. Having taken their name from the concave, clamshell-like silver platform within which semi-precious and polished hard-stones are housed, this sub-genre of Mexican beauties is characterized by absolute minimalism that is only tempered by the lusciousn...

Spratling uses one single rod of thick sterling silver to form this elegant "safety pin". Worked by hand, the detailed swan's head is formed, continuing down to the double looped turn, ending with the sleek, tapered point. Measuring 3 3/4 inches long and 1/2" wide the piece is in beautiful condition. The ingenious design allows for excellent tension in opening and closing the pin point. The thickness of the rod is most suitable for looser weaved fabric. Using one single piece of metal is remini...

Early and gorgeous Matilde Poulat sterling silver and coral bracelet in one of her iconic designs, the "paloma". This is classic Matl with the bird rendered in textured repoussage, its wings open, ready to fly away. The dove is surrounded by coral cabochons both bezel- and channel-set while small pieces of branch coral adorn the links of the chain. I find the relative "minimalism" (speaking for Matl, of course) in the use of one stone only quite refreshing and soothing to the eye as opposed to t...

An early Taxco maestro, Manuel Altamirano worked for both Aguilar and Valentin Vidaurreta. With the former, he shares what has come to be known as the "armadillo" parure, out of which you can see here the quite impressive belt buckle. Evocative of the “armor plates” covering the body of the namesake creatures, the buckle's links are graduated in size and adorned with short, flat-topped round appliques. Big and bold, it can be worn easily by either men and women and would look equally stunnin...

Good early Mexican Deco silver repousse jewelry is becoming harder to find - I don't know if it's because there weren't that many to begin with (quite often repoussage from that period seems a little clumsy, the technique needing additional experimenting with) or that at some point their popularity grew so much that they were "scooped up" from the market. Whatever the case, I am thrilled to be presenting this fantastic cuff bracelet with two saturated purple amethyst cabs here. I would call this...

One of Taxco's early maestros, Jose Luis Flores worked for Aguilar as well as for Emma and Miguel Melendez. Carefully crafted and meticulously finished, his jewelry is often based on creations by his more renowned colleagues yet he can be quite creative and original himself. In my opinion, he is at his best within the realm of modernist design and I believe that the bracelet presented here attests to that. Clever cut-outs, beading and layering combine to shape minimalist "masks" that are then "m...

Margot de Taxco's design no 5194, her "roses" parure, is one of her most romantic, "feminine" creations. There is something so tactile about the small silver flowers linking together to make up necklaces, bracelets and brooches that brings a certain kind of "first love" warmth to the heart and puts a smile on the face. Quite often combined with hearts and cupids, the "roses" are the quintessentially "lovers' jewelry" motif. The design's appeal seems to have lasted for a long time since most of t...

Imposing presence and a beautiful green stone that I believe is agate combine in this vintage Mexican silver ring by the Los Ballesteros workshop. A mid-century piece in terms of its age, the ring does, however, retain the architecturality that Deco jewelry is known and sought after for. And then, of course, there is that detail of the twist-rope wire delineating the rectangular face - more of a traditional, Spanish Colonial touch but who could ever object to it? Currently a sz 6 US but easily r...

A stunner of a brooch, this Antonio Pineda sterling silver and amethyst floral cluster hails the maestro's finding himself as a modernist. Antonio's early pieces betray the strong influence Valentin Vidauretta exerted on his work, so much so that one acquainted with Pineda's classic design period would find it difficult to recognize them as Antonio creations. Yet here, the artist has already found his "hand". Minimalism yet full of exuberant life, sculpturality that makes you want to hold the br...

There is not one form of jewelry in which the Los Castillo did not excel yet I think their big, bold repousse brooches are simply above and beyond! The example I am presenting here, most probably an early creation if design numbers are indeed good indicators of when during the workshop's life a specific idea was transformed into jewelry, reflects the Egyptian Revival of the Deco period. The brooch is dominated by a lotus flower in full bloom, with scrolled elements surrounding a fleshy rosette a...

Mid-century mod "peas-in-a-pod" Mexican silver dangle earrings, this set is signed by Sigi Pineda and it's an iconic creation for the renowned Taxco modernist. I think Sigi was at his best when he worked with designs that contrasted niello-ed surfaces with brushed silver pearls. There is nothing classier than the marriage of black and gleaming sterling yet the textured beads add a dimension that enriches the earrings' visual impact. Gorgeous and timelessly elegant the earrings are 1 7/8" long by...

One of the demanding techniques the Los Castillo workshop is credited with, onix negro (black onyx) was introduced by them in the world of Taxco silver-smithing in the early 1950s and it has resulted in some amazing pieces of jewelry. Set within a carefully carved piece of flat-cut black onyx, the silver elements of a design are then ground down to match the stone surface in a seamless, perfect plane. The technique was picked up and experimented with by a few other Taxco maestros and it was also...

A most beautiful Frank Patania Senior cuff offered here with 7 large nuggets of turquoise. These nuggets measure 5/8th's tall and the overall height of the cuff is 2 inches. The length of the silver is 6.25 inches and the inside diameter is 2 3/8th's inches. There is a 1in. gap as well. Silver nuggets are dispersed an each side of the stones. Masterfull hand chasing and a heft of 112 grams. A huge presence and at an auction price value.

Filipe Martinez was well known at being the best stone cutter laying the stone next to the silver with no space in between. This is an outstanding example of such. The obsidian is a turned on sheen so strong I photographed and different light levels to help you see it in an in person sort of way. The necklace is 16 inches long 1.25 inches tall as well as the bracelet and the earrings. The bracelet is 7in. long. There is a 216 gram combined weight. A rare collectors set, just LOOK AT THAT NECKLAC...

One of the few female designers and silversmiths who contributed to Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance that we know about, Carmen Beckmann is reported in the literature to have worked primarily in the 1950s and 1960s in San Miguel de Allende. I am not sure if this is indeed the case, at least in terms of the dates when she was active and I only say this because many of the pieces by her that I have seen bore hallmarks that would indicate a pre-1948 date of crafting. This might be one of the fie...

How often does one find an Antonio Pineda locket pendant? Not often enough and if one does come upon such a treasure, what are the odds that it’s going to be big, bold and beautiful like the rare, fantastic example offered here? Hefty and meticulously crafted, from the twist-rope and beading detail surrounding the stone’s bezel to the dramatic amethyst oval that takes up almost the locket’s entire face, to the substantial hand-made chain (by a different maker yet perfectly matching the pen...

An iconic design for Sigi Pineda, the "boomerang" can be found with tiger's eye, like here, as well as black onyx, obsidian, amethyst and chrysoprase. Contrasting niello-ed against glistening silver surfaces "boomerang" pieces exude a sense of slick, unimpeded movement and the wire-wrapped cabochons bring more color and added texture. An interesting detail about the pair of earrings at hand is that it has "transitional" findings - a combination of screw backs and clips that many find easier to n...

An accomplished member of the Mexico City school of repoussage, maestro M. Velazquez was a contemporary of Matilde Poulat's and many of his designs are actually based on Matl's originals. The level of craftsmanship and the quality of his work have contributed to his becoming increasingly sought after by collectors, especially with the high prices Poulat's creations realize. I love all his pieces but I have a particular affinity for his brooches and this one, I have never seen in the past. Intere...

Sterling overlay and three-dimensional stone frogs turn this Carmen Beckmann necklace into a small sculpture gallery around the neck! One of the few known to us female contributors to Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance albeit active a little later than the beginnings of the big Mexico City and Taxco workshops, she was based in San Miguel de Allende in the 1950s and 1960s and that is where she created most of her jewelry. Quite often borrowing motifs from Spratling's earlier pieces, Beckmann's j...

A silver arrow shooting through the turquoise center of a starburst is quite a powerful design and in the hands of Antonio Pineda, it becomes a jewel to be enjoyed and lovingly bequeathed from generation to generation. I like the little game Antonio plays here - who wouldn't expect the arrow to shoot through a heart, right? After all, Eros and his bittersweet weapons are so familiar to all of us. But no - the arrow in our case shoots for the ... stars and the turquoise blue sky is its limit... M...

Sterling silver inlaid with azur-malachite, here with browns and greens dominating, this set of vintage Mexican earrings is out of the Los Castillo "mozaico Azteca" line. I find jewelry created with this technique fascinating - the array of colors in the inlay is wide and rich, allowing the same piece to re-create itself as it plays with the changing light. That playfulness is here taken to a higher level with the addition of musical cascabeles, four on each earring, that will fill the air with ...

Set of modernist Mexican earrings bearing the Los Castillo signature, each earring featuring two male profiles, one executed in silver, the second with azur-malachite inlay. Though the Mozaico Azteca technique employed here was among the innovations and revivals the Los Castillo workshop is credited for, I believe the pair at hand was in fact designed by their cousin, Salvador Teran, when he was still working with them. The set's sheer minimalism is only tempered by the saturated color in the st...

From the earlier part of Matilde Poulat's magically creative career this set of silver and red coral earrings is characterized by her textured wirework, beading and bezel-set stones. Almost understated when compared to Matl's usually bold designs, it reminds me of inverted question marks. I love the classic elegance and the way the dark patina of the silver makes the saturated color of the cabs pop. The earrings are 1 1/2" tall by 1" wide and weigh 11.5 grams (for the set). They are signed with ...