An absolutely stunning table-cut citrine adorns this massive Carmen Beckmann Mexican silver ring. The gem, its color traveling from refreshing lemon to saturated yellow as the light changes, is lifted above the finger in a terraced setting with geometric cut-outs...

Based in Mexico City Plateria FarFan created some of the most impressive and well-made collar necklaces, many in the multi-row "mesh" style and others in puzzle “Cleopatra style” designs. The necklace presented here is one of the latter, a pretty handsome one at that and a favorite of mine for the comfortable, just-at-home way in lies around the neck...

It is not easy to stumble upon a vintage Los Ballesteros carved "mask" ring but when one does find an example, what a feast it is! There is nothing "timid" about this piece. The philosophy here is big, bold and beautiful and I believe that the Los Ballesteros workshop accomplished all this monumentality in the most amazing, masterful, and eye-pleasing way. The "mask" is here carved out of a dark green agate, I believe, with grayish white specs in it...

A favorite designer of mine, Carmen Beckmann is one of the few female contributors to Mexico’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance that we know of. Mostly modernist, her work is known for its massive, at times, proportions (especially with her hinged bracelets) and her masterful use of semi-precious stones and gems. The star-form ring at hand is centered by a big, faceted color-change sapphire, that varies between amethyst and steely purple as the light changes...

Modernist sterling ring by Erika Hult de Corral (Ric), this rather rare to find design combines silver in two finishes with richly colored malachite and two small, deep blue lapis cabochons. I am very excited to have found this piece, especially since I recently sold the matching earrings to it (you can use the search feature to see them, if you wish). A talented designer and one of the few known female contributors to Mexico’s 20th c...

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.....

An iconic design for Salvador Teran, the "moon and star" looks as if it floated out of our childhood dreams, out of that world where there are no sharp edges and everything has a reassuring face. Yet it is also one of the most recognizable creations in Taxco's modernist design index. I love the cartoonish cut-outs, the darkness of the nocturnal sky, the way the moon curves over the little star as if to tuck it in for the night...

Perfect for the medium to smaller wrist, this vintage modernist Enrique Ledesma hinged bracelet features a big, asymmetrical medallion with green stone inlay in the "mozaico Azteca" tradition of the Los Castillo. The transition from stone to metal is seamless and if one looks closely (in the photos it is more evident thanks to the macro lens), one can see evidence of the maestro's polishing wheel that brought the two surfaces together in a perfectly smooth union...

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...

It is not often that one finds an Enrique Ledesma ring and this modernist beauty is made even more desirable by the big color-change sapphire that adorns it. The gem has a table-cut type of shape and mimicking the behavior of alexandrites, it changes color under different light conditions traveling from deep amethyst to steely purple. I love the highly stylized setting - to my eyes it reads like silver fingers holding on to the stone as it rests on a willing palm...

The quintessential Art Deco designer, Abraham Paz is one of the earliest maestros of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance. He worked in Mexico City and many of the designs we associate with Fred Davis are actually Paz's creations. His minimalist "masks", shield-form links and tiered ring settings epitomize the elegant geometry the 1920s and 1930s are known for while also foreshadowing the less-is-more attitude of modernism...

Classy Mexican Deco silver and amethyst brooch signed by Fred Davis, there is something about the sculpturality of this piece that makes me think it might be a Valentin Vidaurreta design. It is not just the specific shape the amethyst flowers have been carved in that can be seen in signed Vidaurreta jewelry, it is mostly the bewitching rotundness of the silver bud that makes me think so. The epitome of Mexico City 1930s design in which it's not the multitude or complexity of elements that create...

Popular for centuries in jewelry-making traditions all over the world the buckle motif can be found in all forms and metals, with or without gems, quite elaborate or strikingly minimalist. This 1940s Hector Aguilar version is wrought in sterling and even though its ornamentation is kept at a bare minimum, its rendition is sculptural, an attribute that is enhanced by oxidation and the patina of time. Even better, it is adjustable and there is enough "belt" there to make it several sizes bigger th...

Not very easy to find the specific design of modernist Taxco sterling silver and gemstone earrings by Enrique Ledesma features two generously-sized, color-change sapphires. Mimicking the behavior of alexandrites which change color under different light conditions, the gems are often referred to as “synthetic alexandrites” within the context of vintage Mexican silver jewelry. Yet they are in fact synthetic corundum and at best, they should be identified as “alexandrite simulants”. Their p...

Dramatic Antonio Pineda modernist silver ring wrought in his signature .970 alloy this piece is all about powerful, unencumbered movement! I am wearing it as I write and even though I can see it and I can touch it, I still I find it quite amazing that such a "simple" design, such an non-embellished execution can muster the strength of a tidal wave, cast in it fine silver and restrain it on the finger. I think one of Antonio's most inspired moments and a must-have ring for the discerning collecto...

This is only the second time I have ever had this incredible carved "mask" and sterling silver Mexican Deco pin / pendant and I am thrilled to have come upon another example after years of looking for it! One of the most enchanting "masks" from this period I have seen in terms of the lapidary skill it demonstrates, I call it euphemistically a "Medusa head" even though its theme is a little more gruesome than the severed head of a gorgon from ancient Greek mythology. Whether a vanquished enemy or...

A pair of leaves made out of sterling silver and inlaid with azur-malachite this set of Salvador Teran earrings remains true to the absolute minimalism that characterizes his jewelry. It never ceases to amaze me how, with just a few pencil strokes, talented designers can impart the freshness of a green leaf, the way it curls to collect the rain, the texture of its serrated edge. Here the thin ribbon of stone, seamlessly set into the foliate body, is the only element of color, a tiny window that ...

A design that doesn’t come up very often, these figural Mexican Deco silver earrings by Los Castillo remind me of Old World “wind” representations. I love the sense of powerful forward motion they convey with the curling repousse silverwork and the feather-like trail that the “winds” leave behind them as they sweep through the skies. I wonder what the rest of the parure looks like. The earrings are 1 5/8” long by 5/8” wide (when worn, the “wind” faces downwards as shown in the...