William Spratling sterling and ebony necklace

Mexico

1930s

Wearable length - 16 1/2" long

Weight - 30 grams

Hallmarked

Very good vintage condition

This pretty and detailed pin might depict St. Catherine (patroness of young maidens and female scholars – we like her!). There is a wheel in the background (possibly a “Catherine Wheel,” but it could also just be a ship's wheel or a spinning wheel), and a flower in the foreground. Her clothing looks very Renaissance-era to us. Marked “SILVER” on the C-clasp, with an illegible maker’s mark, the metal tests as sterling, and she’s a dainty 7/8” in diameter. 2.5g...

Vintage Indian “paizbh”, girls chainmail anklet with leaf and flower shaped links, 125 grams, may be worn as a bracelet. Inner diameter 16cm. Good silver with screw in fastener.

Pair of high content silver, pre-owned, Turkmen forearm cuffs, with inset carnelians. Very heavy, these are 310 grams each or 620 grams total. Inner circumference sizes are: 17.2cm and 19cm on and 17.9m and 20cm on the other. These can be presumably be adjusted silversmith or someone with just a good grip!

Vintage sterling Georg Jensen pin no. 366 designed by Nanna Ditzel. This pin is not often seen and I love the simplicity of the design. Measuring 1 3/4" by 1 1/4" and weighing 18 grams, it is in fine original condition. Signed as shown. Elegant mid-century modern design.

This pretty navette-shaped pin is from the Arts & Crafts era. It measures 2-1/8 x 7/16”. It has a leaf and berry motif, centered by a deep purple amethyst. (Amethysts are thought to bring calmness and clarity to the mind.) It is marked STERLING, and the pin-stem assembly is original. The silver has a nice patina. In excellent condition, and circa 1900. The photos are part of the description; please examine them carefully. Thanks! We do lay-away...

A classic Mexican Deco jewelry design element silver repousse semi-spheres were used by well-known designers like Fred Davis and anonymous Taxco maestros alike. They come in all sizes and combinations, in all-silver or adorned with stones and glass, and they unfailingly make for stunning jewelry. In this hinged bangle bracelet they are clustered together in fours to create little florets with bezel-set amethyst centers. In the back, they are simply stacked in rows...

An inspired lapidary and an ingenious designer Felipe Martinez opened his workshop “Piedra y Plata” in 1950. His work is a testament to his exceptional talent and his commitment to impeccable craftsmanship and the use of choice materials. I love all his jewelry but I believe that he was at its best working within the confines of modernism which he enriched with references to Mexico’s archeological past...

A sterling silver modernist bracelet with nine disks and offset orbs by Danish silversmith, Niels Erik (NE) From. This example is not signed. However it is the same design and measures exactly the same as a signed example. Not sure how that occurred. Priced accordingly.

Measures about 7 1/4" long and 5/8" wide.

Leaf shaped toggle clasp holds securely. The bracelet is in fine condition with a little tarnish.

Classic N E From design.

A mid century modernist pendant reminiscent of the designs of American studio jewelers, Betty Cooke or Frances Holmes Boothby. This piece depicts three cut out birds on a round satin finished sterling disk.

The pendant measures 1 1/2" in diameter. Marked Sterling on the back. Has a little tarnish and a few minor surface scratches.

Suspended from a 19" sterling chain that has a secure spring clasp. Marked 925 on the clasp.

Striking design.

One of the most energetic Taxco modernists, Sigi Pineda enjoyed a long, creative career. Prolific and ever “on the move”, he was at his best working within the confines of minimalist design. Sigi rarely used “unnecessary” ornamentation, depending more on fluidity of lines to imply motion, colored stones to impart texture, oxidation to add dimension to what are mostly flat surfaces in his jewelry. The floral brooch at hand provides a good illustration of the above...

Seamlessly marrying sterling silver and stone, Enrique Ledesma created some of Taxco’s classiest modernist jewelry. The specific bracelet with its curved, sculptural “cut pyramid” links is set with warm, mossy azur-malachite in which browns and greens are prevalent. Perfect for the season the bracelet measures 6 1/2” in inner circumference (clasped) and it's 15/16” wide...

This maple leave pin consists of plique a jour enamel in a sterling silver setting. This lovely pin is highlighted with paste accent stones along the main leaf veins. The green plique is a very nice rich color. The pin seems to be missing one leaf, however, someone filled in the space with a pretty drop made of green agate, so the loss is hardly noticeable. It is centered by a faux pearl. The enamel itself is in good shape, with only a few hairline cracks - normal in all but the very best pieces...

A modernist sterling silver brooch with a black orb by Sigi Pineda. The orb may be onyx.

Measures 2 7/8" long and almost 1/2" at the widest. Marked on the back Sigi Tasco, Hecho en Mexico, Sterling, 81, and Eagle #3. Also marked with what looks like design number 304.

Safety rollover clasp holds securely. In very nice condition. Has a little tarnish and minor surface scratches.

A rare example.

Modernist cufflinks made up of eight little geometrically arranged cylinders. Made by Isaac Cohen, Stockholm and marked ICO, S:t Erik’s head (the hallmark for Stockholm), R9 = year mark for 1967, three crowns and S indicating the Swedish silver standard of the time = 830/1000. Width "1 / 2.8 cm. Condition: fine.

A vintage modernist sterling silver textured pendant with a contrasting polished surface by the well known Danish silversmith Jane Wiberg.

The pendant measures almost 2" across and 1 7/8" high. Marked Sterling, 353 and Jane Wiberg. Marked Jane and Finn on the large bale which is hidden behind the pendant. The brooch is 3 dimensional and is almost half of a sphere. The two textured areas curve in for contrast...

Matching the impressive pendant necklace by the same maker that is also available in my store, the "warrior" bracelet presented here was wrought by maestro Anton in the "mozaico Azteca" style that the Los Castillo workshop revived in Taxco's "golden Deco" years...

A vintage sterling silver heavy brooch by Artemio Navarrete. Navarrete helped William Spratling open his Taller de Las Delicias in 1931. He opened his own workshop in 1936.

This example is signed with the conjoined AN, Taxco and 940 for better than sterling silver. Pre Eagle, (pre 1949).

Measures 1 7/8" across and 2" high. Has a rollover safety clasp that holds securely. The brooch has some minor tarnish and surface scratches.

Thick and solid, weighs 38 Gr.

Classic Early Taxco des...