Catalog (525)

This impressive Mexican silver link bracelet, probably made for the tourist trade, has a distinctive and quite unusual design. It is composed of gilded silver and green glass cabochons to imitate jade. The four linked panels are large openwork rosettes, applied to embossed floral frames. The links are well soldered; one is slightly separated but still secure. The glass cabochons show no wear. The box for the tongue clasp is impressed with the early Mexico/Silver mark; the bracelet dates from the 1930s to the mid-1940s. It measures 7 ½ inches long and about 1 1/2 inches wide. Matching screw-back earrings are also available (please inquire).

The earrings are composed of single rosettes of gilded sterling silver and iridescent green glass. The screw backs are marked ‘Mexico/Silver.’ Each earring measures 1 ¼ inches wide.

These unmarked Mexican earrings feature lacy wirework on a half-moon-shaped frame. They test strongly for silver and sit perpendicular to the ear. They date from the 1950s and are secured by kidney wires with hooks. They measure 1 3/8 inches long by ¾ inch wide. Weight: 7 grams total

Formed as a stylized, textured ribbon, bisected by a flattened band. The pin has a dynamic feel and is quite sturdy. The rollover clasp is original to the piece and in good working order. The back bears the eagle 3 mark, as well as marks for Mexico and sterling, but no maker’s mark. The pin measures 2 ½ inches by ¾ inch wide. Gross weight: 7.4 grams

Each side in a scroll design, decorated with molded beading and set with pieces of abalone. The spring-action hinge is in good working order. The bracelet is marked T-164, Mexico 925 and has residue from label adhesive on the inside of the band. It measures about 7 inches in interior circumference. Gross weight: 60.5 grams

A bold sterling silver bracelet set with six large cabochons of dyed green chalcedony. The stones are set on round bezel mounts and secured by scored long prongs. The stones exhibit surface wear but no cracks or chips; they are unpolished, or possibly have lost the luster. It is well made, down to the soldered rings that link each mounting. The clasp is secure and there is a sturdy safety chain. The maker’s mark, which appears to be an interlocking MA or MR, is unidentified. The bracelet dates from the 1950s and is also marked Mexico Sterling. It measures 6 ¾ inches long by ¾ inch wide by ¾ inch high.

Decorated with an applied swordfish inset with cobalt blue enamel. The clip is well made and has good spring, with no metal stress and no loss to the enamel. It measures 2 1/8 inches long by 1 inch wide. It has a maker’s mark of TR-180, as well as the sterling and country mark. Weight: 20.3 grams

This sterling silver link bracelet is set with six-sided pieces of green glass. The glass is bezel-mounted and secured with strap work; four leaf-shaped pillows surround the glass on each pane. Save for a small dent in one pillow (see Photo #5, center panel), the bracelet looks hardly worn. It is marked on the tongue with ‘Mexico’ in script and sterling under it. The clasp is very secure. The bracelet measures about 7 inches long (the panels are curved) and a little over 1/2 inch wide. Gross weight: 26.5 grams

Here is a sterling silver pin formed as stylized flowers and stems, set with teardrop-shaped pieces of obsidian. The partial marks are from a silversmith unidentified but known for the initials AE inside a heart-shaped M. It is a substantial piece, with the prong-set pieces of obsidian riveted to the oval backs. It has a secure safety clasp. The pin measures about 2 1/2 inches at its widest point, and 3 inches at its longest.

A heavy, organic design distinguishes this handmade Mexican ring from its contemporaries. The stone is set within a vine-like mount, and is highly polished, fiery, showing very little wear. The ring band and mount have somewhat of a rough, handcrafted look, and the surface has a robust patina from age. It dates c. 1960, and is partially marked Mexico on the inner band on one side, and 925 with another mark starting with M that could be for Mexico or the maker’s initials. The outer band shows a worn Eagle 2. The ring is approximately a size 8 ½; the top measures approximately 1 inch by 1 inch.

Large, bold ring set with fiery cabochon tiger’s eye. The sterling band and setting show a warm patina from age; there are signs of wear as well as tool marks from the handwork. The stone measures 1 inch long by 5/8 inch wide. The inside of the band is marked for sterling; an eagle 3 is struck on the outside of the band. The ring is a size Size 9 ¾.

A dramatic sterling silver cuff bracelet of Precolumbian influence, featuing double birds with long, curling tails. The background is deeply oxidized, with a raised decoration; there are a few small areas of loss to the oxidation on one side. The inside of the cuff exhibits a circular mark of Sterling Taxco enclosing the initials LC, the number 148 and eagle 3. The cuff has a 7-inch internal circumference, with a 1 3/16-inch gap; it is 2 ¼ inches at its widest area. Weight: 58.9 grams

A bold bow pin enhanced with white chalcedony at the knot and in teardrops at the ribbon ends, with an unidentified maker’s mark of S within a C. The stones are securely mounted, exhibiting some wear -- tiny scratches and minor loss to the polished surface -- but no cracks or chips. The pin surface has a warm patina from age, with minor surface scratches. The clasp is very secure; the pin stem is slightly bent but in good working order. (The vertical lines in the photos are from reflected light.) The pin measures 3 inches wide by 2 ¾ inches long. Gross weight: 34.7 grams

A sturdy bracelet composed of a half-bangle connected with a series of abstract-shape hinged links, it bears the mark 'RIC,' for Erika Hult de Corral, along with her post-1980 mark of TR-26 on the box clasp and tongue. The safety chain appears to be original to the piece. The bracelet has a 7-in. interior circumference, and the widest elements measure 5/8 in. Weight: 29 grams

This Mexican sterling bracelet has a warrior-like feel, with its shield-like openwork panels. The domed centers are set with small black glass cabochons that could be obsidian. The tongue-and-groove clasp is very secure, and the connectors between the panels exhibit are well soldered. The bracelet bears the unidentified mark of VGV (per Bille Hougart’s book), as well as a sterling mark surrounded by a circular Hecho en Mexico. It measures 7 inches long by a little over 1 inch wide. Gross weight: 25.7 grams

The clasp on this sterling silver bracelet is fashioned as a buckle, with a hinged bar that closes over the end of the ‘belt’ to secure it. The bracelet is constructed as three hinged pieces, with bands of chain work applied to the outside. It is marked 925 Mexico on the inside of the securing bar. The bracelet measures 1 inch wide at the buckle; the band measures 1/2 inch wide. The bracelet, when closed, measures 2 1/2 inches across the opening and has an internal circumference of 7 inches. It is not adjustable. Weight: 56.9 grams

A substantial sterling silver chain composed of doubled rings, bars and beads with connecting links; there is a central ring for attaching a pendant, or the chain can be worn as is. The secure box clasp bears what appears to be the maker’s mark of Beto, as pictured in Bille Hougart’s Mexican silver marks book, third edition, p. 27. The eagle 22 is the most legible mark; the others are not entirely clear. The chain measures 27 ½ inches long, unclasped. Weight: 38 grams

This impressive and substantial necklace with good heft is composed of what appears to be a birdcage-style chain alternating with twisted elements. It is secured by a working box clasp. The clasp bears the Mexican marks for sterling and a post-1980 maker’s mark, the first letter of which is obscured. It measures 18 inches long, doubled. Weight: 132.7 grams