Spratling often used the butterfly in his jewelry and object designs. His rare bezel set amethyst and sterling silver tray measures 3 3/4" X 3 3/4" and weighs 72 grams. The piece is in beautiful condition. Spratling's hallmarks and eagle 30 impressed on the reverse.

This sterling silver brooch and pendant was handmade c. 1960's by Mexico City artist Anna Morelli (1921-2008). The piece measures 3 1/4" X 2 1/2" and is in beautiful condition. Fully signed by the artist on the reverse. In 1960 Morelli was an early founding member of the Bazar del Sabado in Mexico City along with Ricardo Salas Poulat where she sold her earliest jewelry designs. Morelli achieved international fame when she was asked to design the jewelry for the Conan the Destroyer film...

The disk that comprises the top of this sterling silver ring has a lot going on. Its highly textured design evokes basketry that is visible underneath as well as from above. It's a bold, dynamic design supported by sturdy construction and expert workmanship. The inner ring bears the sterling mark of 925 and a maker’s mark composed of two captial Gs, the second one upside-down. Unfortunately as of this writing the maker is unknown, so we can't give the credit due this talented metalsmith...

Following in the tradition of Mexico City “jeweled” jewelry closely associated with Matilde Poulat, this Mexican Deco silver and amethyst cross pendant necklace is not signed for maker yet its rich patina, beautiful stones and exceptional chain more than compensate for the absence. I could hardly exaggerate how rare it is to find a repousse chain of this beauty, let alone one adorned with richly colored amethyst cabs...

Working out of San Miguel de Allende, Carmen Beckmann is one of the “second generation” (if I may be allowed the term here) designer / silversmiths who contributed to Mexico’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance. In her work, Beckmann is often inspired by ancient Maya and Aztec motifs to which she adds her unique modernist “twist” - quite successfully in my opinion at least...

Referred to as the “shells” or sometimes even “snails” bracelet, Margot de Taxco’s des. 5104 is a series of fleshy, perfectly swirling repousse links that feel so comfortable around the wrist, you might take them as an extension of your body. The example at hand vibrates with that warm light only well-aged, well-loved silver acquires and the thick sterling sheet used to craft the bracelet has allowed it to mature without burdening it with the scars and blemishes of age...

Carved in translucent amethyst the “mask” adorning the Piedra y Plata silver ring presented here bespeaks Felipe Martinez’s talent as a sculptor. His jewelry, always combining sterling with the most amazing stones, showcases some of the best lapidary work in the world of vintage Mexican jewelry and his “masks”, I consider some of the most evocative, spiritual examples in the field...

Measuring 19 1/2" long this stunning piece was designed by Frederick Davis c.1930-40's. The necklace weighs 75 grams and is comprised of jade beads and hand tooled silver balls of graduated size. The largest silver ball is 1/2". The largest jade beads are 3/4" long. The silver balls appear not to have been polished for decades and the patina is gorgeous. A few pin head size dings noticed on close inspection with a loupe...

Antonio Pineda cuffs don't surface very often and this specific design is even more difficult to find. An ode to the art of a-symmetry, the cuff is wrought in the maestro's favorite fine ,.970 alloy and quite substantial. The stone that adorns its widest end, rich in greens and blues, is agate, I think, but it might be a very special kind of turquoise as well. Warm patina, perfectly conveyed less-is-more attitude and Antonio's exquisite finishing are all present here to please the eye...

A stunning Antonio Pineda modernist bracelet, its rectangular, slick links held together with bezel-set carnelian connectors, each one of which features a daringly protruding silver “tongue”. I love the gutsyness of the design and the mischievous sense of humor behind it but I am also taken with the rich color in the stones which changes hue as it responds to the changing light...

Made in the very late 1940s or in the opening years of the 1950s at the latest, this Marcel Boucher sterling silver necklace is a Mexican piece from the renowned designer’s “Parisina” line. Parisina pieces are not easy to find - Boucher had them made in Mexico for a few years around WWII because the war effort had put restrictions in the availability and use of silver. Yet this specific design, I have never encountered before ...

An early Mexico City (I will suggest) maestro, P...

Handwrought in the early 1940's, this trapezoid design by Spratling measures 17" long and 1" high. The panels catch and reflect light beautifully as the wearer moves about. The necklace is in excellent condition. Spratling hallmarks are found on the slide-in clasp and on one panel.

One of the few female designers of Mexico’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance that we know of, Erika Hult de Corral excelled in the creation of slick abstract and brutalist jewelry. She started creating her own work in Taxco’s “middle period” and continued being active in the post-1980 years as well. Big, bold and beautiful, the result of the artist’s few yet perfectly placed brushstrokes, the dove-shaped pendant at hand conveys that precious sense of elegant, unimpeded motion. Measuring 3”...

This brilliant vintage squash blossom necklace is anecdotally from the 1950s but stylistically typical of the 1970s (the leaves surrounding the turquoise cabochons were popular at that period.) It is sterling silver and turquoise but unmarked. The 1/4” sterling beads are bench-made. The necklace is 27” in length, with a naja that measures 2 5/8 in width by 3 inches in length. The necklace is set with 17 turquoises. The seven ornamenting the naja are 3/8 by ½ inches in size, and the ten su...

Circa mid-century, this heavy chunky modernist onyx ring was produced by Antonio Pineda.

It's a rarely seen design, wide, solid, and absolutely killer, with inlaid onyx in a 970 silver setting.

Measures a 6 on a ring sizer. The side is quite wide, so may fit a little more snug than that. The silver has a sleek mirror-like finish.

Weight is 12.1 grams.

Signed and hallmarked with the Antonio Taxco Crown, 970 Silver Sterling Mexico, and the eagle ...

One of my favorite sub-genres in the world of vintage Mexican silver jewelry includes those early Deco repousse brooches wrought in the usually referred to as the “Mexico City style”, the most famous proponent of which is, undoubtedly, Matilde Poulat. Quite often anonymous, as in our case, these pieces can be fascinatingly weird, at times even bordering on the surreal. Who is this bearded man with the thick facial features, his eyes cast down as if in intense concentration, and what is this ...

Set in a raised bezel on a hand-hammered sterling platform the “mask” in this vintage Carmen Beckmann brooch is carved out of dyed calcite, often - and mistakenly - referred to as “jade”. Oxidation and a geometric glyph applique add complexity to the design and the portrait’s minimalist rendition brings to mind the more austere of ancient artifacts unearthed from the Mexican soil. I believe that this brooch comes out of a line of similar brooches Beckmann created, sometimes using anci...