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...

A fabulous sterling cuff with 18k gold concave dots by Arizona metalsmith Kim Rawdin. Kim Rawdin studied painting and art education in college in New York and his interest in jewelry started when he took a job as an art teacher on a Navajo reservation in Arizona...

A beautiful sterling and turquoise ring by Navajo Allen Kee created during his time as a benchsmith at the White Hogan Shop in Scottsdale, Arizona from 1946 to 1962, working beside Kenneth Begay. The ring is a size 6 1/4 and measures 1 1/4" long and 1/2" at the widest point. It weighs 8 grams and is in fine original condition. Spectacular stones that are free of chips or cracks. Signed as shown...

Dated for 1972 and signed by Kultaseppa Salovaara Ky of Finland, this sterling silver and rose quartz hinged bangle bracelet epitomizes the less-is-more attitude of Scandinavian design. There is nothing superfluous here - everything serves a purpose and at the same time contributes to the bracelet's serene, confident beauty. Yet I think that the strongest element is the crystalline, soft pink of the rose quartz spheres...

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!

Hector Aguilar is known for his collection worn by Georgia O'keeffe. This one is iconic as the matching bracelet to her belt that we see her wearing in photographs. A well fitting treasure with 7in. in length with more that can be let out if needed and shortened as needed. There is a height of 1.75in. The material is a fabric backed suede. I am at a loss of words for this design. I think all I can say is it is my favorite bracelet in the entire Mexican Silver Renaissance...

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. One inch is the height of th...

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.

Gorgeous silver hinged bangle bracelet signed by Topazio of Portugal featuring a repousse "harvest" motif with bunches of mature wheat in rectangular frames. Topazio bracelets are the best of the genre - their designs are crisp and register easily to the eye; the finishing is impeccable and their decorative motifs a joy to behold. I love the octagonal shape on the outer surface, the sense of Deco geometry it adds to the piece and the silky soft patina the bracelet has developed over its long lif...

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...