Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Silver (309)

I love the Los Ballesteros family of massive, “dimpled dot” hinged bracelets and I am constantly on the look out for great examples. Wrought in sterling silver and adorned with a big, bezel-set agate cabochon that celebrates all hues of green, this beauty is a variation of the version with amethyst that is also available on my site...

One of the oldest and definitely one of the very few original workshops that are still in operation in Taxco, the Los Ballesteros taller created some of the best "mask" jewelry in the story of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance. Whether incorporated in rings, brooches, pendants or bracelets, their minimalist carved portraits are always finely executed and the silver-work which houses them quite often touches the monumental...

Over the years of my career as a vintage Mexican jewelry dealer I have come to love and appreciate the "mask" pieces created by the Los Ballesteros workshop. I have to admit that this was not a "love-at-first-sight" affair. On the contrary, it took me some time to realize that prolific though they might have been, especially in the post-1980 years which witnessed a drop in creativity as well, the specific workshop excelled in the production of superb jewelry centered by carved stone effigies...

The epitome of minimalism - there is nowhere further in subtraction to go from here - this modernist sterling silver collar necklace bears the signature of the Los Ballesteros workshop and was made in Taxco, Mexico in the 1960s-70s. Shaped in order to wrap itself around the neck and rest lightly right below the Adam's apple, its width is at its maximum at center front and then tapers gently toward the two ends in the back of the neck...

Hand-hammered silver reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts movement and a jade bead that brings to mind ancient Aztec and Maya jewelry combine in this sterling silver ring by the Los Castillo. The specific design does not come up very often. In all my years of buying and selling vintage Mexican jewelry I have only had two examples - the second one being the one offered here...

Every now and again, I will bump into a piece of Mexican jewelry incorporating an ancient artifact. Be that clay masks, carved little effigies or beads, they are always a treat and a source of great excitement. And when that piece is also signed by one of the big Taxco workshops, like the bracelet at hand, then it’s a real holiday! Out of their “mixed metals” line, this Los Castillo silver, brass and copper hinged bracelet is literally built around an amazing, silky smooth agate bead...

A true choker-sized necklace by the Los Castillo workshop which can, nevertheless, easily accept a simple extension (please, ask if you need one), this is a design I have always admired for its perfect combination of sterling repousse links and bi-cone (or sometimes even flattened circular) glass beads. Very well made and so easy to enjoy no matter what the occasion is, our version is adorned with amethyst-colored beads that cast a purple shadow on the already warm patina of the silver...

Beautifully aged sterling silver and warmly glowing copper combine effortlessly in this Los Castillo chevron brooch. I am very partial to the mixed metals jewelry that came out of Taxco and the renowned workshop excelled in their production. This specific piece with its arrow shape I find very interesting visually - just note the way the curves of the silver beads are juxtaposed to the intense forcefulness of the angular motifs. The brooch is 2 1/4" long by 3/4" wide and weighs 19.7 grams...

Matching the brooch of the same design that it also available here (you can see the two pieces together in one of the photos here) this Los Castillo Mexican silver and copper ring is a rather rare find and I am happy to have come upon it. Weaving together the two metals in a chevron / arrow pattern, it is additionally embellished with tiny little sterling beads and has a visually interesting shank as well...

Matching the "festoon with teardrops" necklace I recently sold, this set of earrings by the Los Castillo workshop is truly glamorous! I love the flair of the bifurcated element at the top with its curvaceous central semi-sphere which mirrors the sculptural elegance of the teardrop. And, please, note the playful articulation of the semi-circular links forming the main dangle. Aren't they just a pleasure? The earrings measure 1 3/4" long by 1 1/4" wide and weigh 17.5 grams (for the set)...

An early Los Castillo design and very much in keeping with the 1940s' love for sweeping flourishes this set of earrings, carefully hand-cut, overlaid and oxidized will add just the right amount of festive spirit to your outfit. Bold and confident, the swirls seem to twist upon themselves in excitement and then reach high up for the skies with abandonment. Got to love the Los Castillo and the myriad ways in which they still make our day...

Sweet, romantic and so appropriate for the time of year, this vintage Mexican silver "row of hearts" bracelet bears the signature of the Los Castillo workshop and is crafted using the "mozaico Azteca" technique. Even though Los Castillo "mozaico" jewelry can be found with abalone inlay as well, it is primarily the saturated, gorgeous greens and deep, rich blues of azur-malachite one expects to see in creations from this line. The bracelet at hand, carefully and .....

Symbols of fertility, rebirth, transformation and even immortality snakes and serpents have been favorite jewelry motifs through the centuries and across civilizations. In this Mexican Deco demi signed by the Los Castillo they are formed by silver, copper and brass, their slick bodies coiled around shimmering golden sheen obsidian. This is one of the best examples of the technique I have seen by the Los Castillo - probably because I love snake jewelry...

An early design by the Los Castillo taller (could it have been created by their cousin, Salvador Teran, when he was still working for them?), the “fish skeleton” is considered a classic and has seen many emulations and reproductions over the years. The hinged bracelet at hand, wrought in thick silver sheet with copper bead accents, is a modernist treasure that was made for small wrists. Ideal for all of us who love vintage Mexican clampers but can never enjoy them because they are usually...

A mid-century Los Castillo Mexican silver and stone inlay belt buckle, this is a piece out the workshop's "onix negro" series. I have said before that the specific technique is a challenging one both for the silversmith and the lapidary as the stone has to be cut exactly to the dimensions of the silver elements that will be inlaid in it. Yet here too the prowess of the maestros who created the buckle is evident in the absolutely smooth "image" they created by combining the two materials - if you...

Fun and perfect for this summer - especially if you decide to stay away from beaches! - this mod sterling silver "fish with air bubble" necklace by Los Castillo comes out of the workshop's "onix negro" line of jewelry. I find this technique fascinating - it poses a big challenge to the lapidary's and silversmith's abilities as the onyx slab has to be carved out precisely to the dimensions of the sterling inlay that will be set in it. The transition from one material to the other has to be perfec...

When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade and when it hands you an orphan cuff link, you have it converted into a ring. I have always been very partial to pieces of jewelry that would normally come in pairs but lost their partner over the course of their adventurous life. Conversions, though a dedicated, purist collector’s nightmare, are to me a welcome way of prolonging the journey of an otherwise shunned piece by providing it with a new purpose, a new opportunity to be enjoyed and admire...

Impressive takes on a whole different meaning when the work of the Los Castillo taller is concerned - and the wide, exuberantly vibrant floral and foliate repousse bracelet I am presenting here proves the point. Continuing in the 1940s’ spirit that called for designs derived from nature in jewelry production, this piece is a celebration of everything verdant - organic in an unexpected way, full of movement, reaching for the sunlight, twisting and twirling with the wind. A bracelet worthy of th...