Very reminiscent of jewelry created in the 1950s by Graziella Laffi, the Italian-born jewelry designer habitually referred to as “the Spratling of Peru”, this is a rarely surfacing creation of Carmen Beckmann’s. Thick, hand-hammered silver sheet that was then oxidized is used to form the bracelet’s main body. Upon that an impressive fish applique marries the piece’s Arts and Crafts feeling with the stylization of ancient Meso-american glyphs...

Who among lovers of vintage Mexican silver jewelry does not know Margot de Taxco's zodiac treasures? Charms, pendant, charm bracelets and brooches, they come in all those forms and they are avidly collected. Yet how many times have you come upon a mini, almost lingerie size, Margot astrological pin? Rare and sweet as can be, this 1 1/2" Aries beauty is irresistible. I can easily see it worn alongside one of its.....

From his first design period, with hallmarks dating 1940- 46, this is a silver conch pin designed by William Spratling and featured in books on Mexican silver. Measuring 2 3/4" by 2", weighs 21 grams and is signed as shown. The pin clasp may have been replaced . One of Spratling's favorite designs.

This hand-wrought Mexican necklace dates to pre-1948,

It's an exquisite piece with highly detailed silver work, and it looks beautiful on. Measuring 36" in length, the two sides can clip together about 4" from each end.

Signed and hallmarked on the bottom of each ball "S.D. Hecho en Mexico 0.925".

Weight is 80.5 grams.

In excellent vintage condition.

Impressively long and beguilingly slick with its glowing tapering dangles half-hiding a bullet-shaped piece of black onyx, this is one of Antonio Pineda’s most eye-catching set of earrings. Simple yet visually strong lines that re-affirm the philosophy of less-is-more in the world of adornment; smooth as silk, dancer-like motion; fleshy geometry (if you allow me the word combination), all come together and become a piece of wearable art in the hands of Mexico’s modernist magician...

One of the techniques the Los Castillo workshop pioneered, “pluma Azteca” uses dyed bird feathers as inlay to adorn jewelry and other decorative items. Quite impressive in their colorful vibrancy, the feathers can also be vulnerable, especially when they are left exposed, resulting in a rather small number of “pluma” jewelry having survived over the years. The articulated torque-type necklace at hand is a wonderful exception...

Playing the violin with abandon as is evident by their determined expression, Margot de Taxco’s “musician putti” come here in earring form which is a rather rare occurrence. The specific angelic musician is usually found hanging off Margot’s charm bracelet of the same design, one out of a band of nine, and even though I have had the bracelet a few times in the past, this is the first pair of earrings I have found...

The combination of fine, high purity silver and moonstone is one of my favorite and was equally favored, it seems, by Antonio Pineda, Taxco's renowned modernist. Set in three-dimensional 970 silver settings the stones at hand have a luminous pearlescence that draws the eye into their magical depths, and perfectly reflect the warm glow of the precious metal surrounding them. Antonio's jewelry is characterized by an unfailing sense of easy luxury and that feeling is present here as well...

A rather rare design - I have never encountered it before - by Enrique Ledesma, this pair of earrings brings to mind classical representations of the Aztec Sun Disk yet, in fact, the figure centering them is Tlaltecuhtli, one of the Mexica Earth deities, often referred to as the Earth Monster...

A retailer active in the 1930s and 1940s, Ingrid's was - according to Bille Hougart - known for their high quality hollowware and jewelry which they commissioned from the best Taxco maestros...

Maestro Mateo of Taxco is known among vintage jewelry collectors for his modernist, mostly brutalist, ring designs. His work is sought after for its quality, the beauty of the stones he incorporates in his pieces and the strong sense of tension that his rings exude. His career strides the divide between the so-called Eagle mark period and that of the T-marks and, in my experience, he is one of the very few silversmiths who used .950 alloys before they became the norm in the 1980s...

In the years I have been buying and selling vintage Mexican silver jewelry I have seen many "mask" pieces - this is, after all, one of the "pillars" in the genre's design index and I am also very partial to it and always on the look out for good examples. I have to also admit that seeing jewelry of a certain kind over and over again makes one a little more blasé and hence, more difficult to impress. Yet impressed I was with this astounding combination pin / pendant I am presenting here...

This pre-1948 bracelet is a Fred Davis design, here hallmarked simply "Mexico Silver". Composed of six large silver panels, each set with a large amethyst cabochon, this bracelet measures a closed, wearable length of 7 1/2" with a width of 1 3/8". Weight is 67.7 grams. Fold over clasp gives this piece a seamless appearance. In excellent vintage condition. Stones are gorgeous, perfectly matched in color

Circa mid-century, this Antonio Pineda cuff is a book-piece design shown in "Silver Seduction: The Art of Mexican Modernist Antonio Pineda". Pure eye candy, this concave cuff features nine conical amethysts which appear to be floating on a center pivoting arm. The amethysts are wonderful old Mexican stones with natural inclusions and quartz marbling. This will fit a smaller wrist. Mine is 6" and it fits me comfortably with room to spare. It is not adjustable in size...

One of the best "manufacturers" of silver jewelry and holloware in Peru Industria Peruana created some amazing "Inca Revival" (if I am permitted the term) pieces around the middle of the 20th c. when Graziella Laffi was also active. Their designs are beautifully executed with crisp detail and careful finishing and very often it is Peru's rich history that provided the motifs...

Maestro C. Molina is one of those “enigmatic” figures of Mexico’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance. Even in Bille Hougart’s seminal work on hallmarks and makers there is minimal information about him - namely, two or three examples of the way his jewelry is hallmarked and the photos are really difficult to read...

One of the most talented, innovative maestros of Mexico’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance, Jose Luis Flores created some amazing designs that were sold not only under his own name but bore the hallmarks of Miguel Martinez, Emma Melendez and Rubi Ramirez as well. His slick designs, obviously influenced by modernist principles, are imaginative; the finishing on his jewelry flawless and their appeal timeless - no wonder he was the genius behind many pieces that came out in the market with Hector Aguil...

Extraordinary vintage sterling and red coral petit point earrings by Zuni Edith Tsatbetsaye , circa 1970. Many silversmiths created petit point pieces but this silversmith took the art to an extreme. The slender marquis petite points are cut with a semi-circular high domed arch that is her trademark. These earrings measure 7/8" by 3/4" and have posts for pierced ears. They are in fine original condition , weigh 6 grams total and there are no missing stones and no chips or cracks to any stone. Si...