I have had this ring in my personal collection for several years now - always meaning to get it sized so I can enjoy - but I finally deciding to let it go. I have only seen this design once before, with a obsidian cab and a different shank but I really love how it looks with the “feathered serpent” jealously guarding an amethyst...

An American who arrived in Mexico in the 1940s, opened her own workshop in 1945 and by 1950 employed about twenty five artisans*, Doris is one of the few female designers that we know of in the world of vintage Mexican silver jewelry. My first encounter with her creations wasn’t until a few years into my “career” as a Mexican jewelry dealer and I was immediately captivated by the exquisite design, the impeccable craftsmanship and the quality of the materials used...

Dating in the first decades of the 20th c. this Italian Renaissance Revival necklace is wrought in .800 silver and adorned with flat-cut and cabochon sodalite. In the same style as “Grand Tour” jewelry popularized by the Peruzzi and Coppini houses in Florence, this piece features grape clusters and leaves while also showcasing shell, floral garland and rosette links in its ornate chain...

For someone with a song in his heart, this vintage pair of sterling silver toggle back cufflinks takes the form of a G clef, marked on the link STERLING and Pat 2472953, circa 1940. Measures 1 1/4" high. condition is excellent. May need cleaning.

A glorious emulation of Spratling's "Aztec Sun" design, the early Mexican Deco silver and amethyst cuff at hand combines repoussage and overlay with cleverly applied oxidation that adds more depth and drama to an already stunning bracelet. This is a generously proportioned piece so if you always craved a cuff like it but couldn't find one to fit, don't miss this opportunity...

Four figural links featuring classic Italian monuments and city symbols adorn this long, Renaissance Revival silver chain. This is the style associated with the Peruzzi and Coppini Bros workshops of Florence and based on the quality of the castings, I would suggest that it was made by either one of them. The figural links are complemented by floral ones while perfect sodalite beads add their strong color to the necklace...

Maestro Velazquez is one of my favorite early Mexican silversmiths. Based on the hallmarks on his work, he was most probably based in Mexico City and his creations are almost always in the so-called Mexico City style of repousse. Very well made and carefully finished, this figural fish brooch is also characterized by a fun, cartoon-ish air that will put a smile on your face every day of the year...

This majestic piece was designed & signed c. 1940's by American & Taxco, Mexico artist William Spratling (1900-67). The necklace measures 16 1/2" long X 1 3/4" wide & weighs 226 grams. Originally strung on twine, the necklace has been professionally restrung on sterling silver fox tail chain. Each link is set with a turquoise cab. Excellent condition & patina. The necklace is secured with a slide in pin closure. This rare necklace was purchased from a NYC Park Av. estate...

Circa 1930's-early 40's, this necklace is a Fred Davis design, hallmarked simply "Silver Mexico".

It's a gorgeous piece, with large amethyst cabochons and carved malachite stones. It lays perfectly on the neck, measuring a closed, wearable length of 16 1/2". Width is 1 1/16". Amethysts measure 27mm x 20mm, with a depth of 11mm.

Weight is 87.6 grams.

In excellent vintage condition.

This mid-century Margot de Taxco brooch is likely one of a kind. The Victorian era high relief Greek goddess is hand-carved and exquisitely detailed. It's either hardstone or black lava, and Margot designed the silver setting expressly to fit the cameo, using a Greek motif with black enamel. Measures 2 3/8" x 2 3/16", with a weight of 35.8 grams. The Greek goddess is Eirene, and she is known as the goddess of peace and the season of spring...

This mid-century masterpiece is the work of Felipe Martinez, whose shop was called Piedra Y Plata.

The hand-carved and polished amethyst face is a gorgeous shade of purple and the repoussé silver work is magnificent. Earrings are obsidian...

Chunky heavy early modernist ring with a large faceted genuine amethyst stone. With two tiny marks on the outside of the shank. One is 800 or 900 (I can't be sure which), for silver content, and the other is a tiny hallmark or maker's mark in a cartouche. Circa 1940. Most likely European, based on the silver content and the other mark. Very well worked, with deep parallel ridges, in a great Deco/modernist design. Heavy for its size at 20 grams. Ring size 6...

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...

Perfect for the black turtlenecks and heavy coats of winter this vintage Mexican Deco silver and turquoise bird of paradise brooch is a stupendous work of art! Not only does its sheer size stun the eye, its layered sculpturality and curvaceous repoussage invites the touch and allows the light to play a thousand tricks hiding in its recesses and reflecting off its elevations. I was always a big fan of brooches and my focus on Mexican jewelry has rewarded me a myriad times over the years with amaz...

For a few years around WWII and possibly up to 1950, Marcel Boucher had a special line of silver jewelry made in Mexico under the name "Parisina". I don't think we know which workshop produced those pieces or whether they were made by a number of different silversmiths. I can, however, say that Parisina jewelry ranges from the very light-weight to the chunkier, more substantial examples and that the same variety is also reflected in their designs. The Cuban link bracelet presented here is defini...

My second M Velazquez silver brooch for the day, this Mexican Deco repousse "portrait" I have never had (nor, I believe, seen) before. As opposed to the first figural pin, here the "sitter" is shown in profile, his likeness set in a raised frame against a stippled background. Velazquez's repoussage can be very dramatic and in the piece at hand it is also enhanced by deep chasing and oxidation which brings out the sculpturality of the face and the impressive headdress. The brooch measures 2 1/8"...

Circa 1940-1945, this stunning and iconic belt from Hector Aguilar is known as the "Georgia O'Keefe" belt. A photo of O'Keefe wearing this belt is shown on page 108 of "Silver Masters of Mexico". Page 107 , bookplate III-24, shows this belt as "Large X's with One Button Belt".

There are different versions of this belt. This one is the largest, with a width of a full 2" for the leather, 2 3/8" at the buckle. Four "X's" measure 3 1/2" wide, 2 1/4" tall. Length is 32" for the suede/leath...

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...