Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Silver (315)

A book piece for Sigi Pineda, the “boomerang” brooch belongs in a line of jewelry in which the Taxco modernist combined layering, purposefully applied oxidation and vividly colored semi-precious and hard- stones to create slick, modernist, I would even say space-age, designs that seems as relevant today as they did when they were first introduced to the world...

Sleek modernism and heavy sterling combine in this Sigi Pineda bracelet which seems to be one of the maestro’s earlier creations and a relatively harder piece to find as well. Perfect finishing, generous weight, a blissful marriage of glistening silver and dark oxidation and inspired design, all features that make Sigi jewelry exceptional can be seen at work here. What a beauty indeed… The bracelet has a 6 3/4” inner circumference (clasped)and its width varies between 1 1/16″ and 5/8"...

One of Taxco's most famous modernists Sigi Pineda was also a very prolific designer and at his best moments, truly inspired. I am used to seeing minimalist, fluid pieces by him and the brooch at hand, wrought in sterling silver and adorned with a teardrop-shaped obsidian, is the result of a good moment indeed...

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...

Abstract - and rather chubby - fish wrought in sterling silver with overlay and oxidation hang off the earlobes with this set of abstract Mexican dangles signed by Sigi Pineda. I don't believe I had this specific design by the talented - and prolific - Taxco modernist before but I am very familiar with the line and definitely in love with it...

So-called "chain mail" jewelry is not uncommon in the world of vintage Mexican silver. One can find them in all forms, with or without stones, and in all widths, signed by known maestros and by less-celebrated makers as well. There is something very slick about this design, its interwoven "mesh" inhabiting quite comfortably both the Art Deco and early modernist worlds. The necklace at hand is an example of the narrower versions but very well made and with good weight to it...

Breathtakingly beautiful this vintage sterling silver cuff bracelet, Navajo or Southwestern based on the style, is one of those pieces that become heirlooms. Exceptionally well crafted, it is centered by a huge oval lace agate, the color of the stone showing at times powdery blue, at times light grey. Set in a fine saw-tooth bezel, the agate is surrounded by beading and beautiful, richly layered foliate and floral overlay...

One of my absolute favorite designs by Gerardo Lopez, this silver and copper "mask" necklace I have sold a few times during my career as a vintage Mexican jewelry dealer and I never tire of it! There is so much to attract the eye here and every time you look at it, you spot something new and exciting. Meticulously cut ornate sterling "frames", oxidized and embellished with overlay, surround the highly sculptural copper "masks"...

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...

Signed by a listed but still unidentified Taxco maestro, this pair of exuberant sterling silver chandelier earrings is set with some of the most vibrant turquoise teardrops I have seen. Yet it is not just the stones that elevate it above and beyond your everyday earrings. The silver-work is equally gorgeous, the hand-cut and deeply chased frames given "body" with just a tad of repoussage and wisely applied oxidation...

Superbly crafted, profusely decorated and visually powerful this early Mexico City repousse figural brooch is an a rather rare example of vermeil silver jewelry from the country's 20th c. Silver Renaissance. I will admit that I am not particularly fond of vermeil - I love the look and feel of aged silver without "enhancements" that make it look like something it is actually not. Yet there are those very very scarce moments when a piece like this shows up and it makes me reconsider...

An intriguing contributor to Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance, Taller Taxco is a workshop that, as far as my experience goes, created jewelry that were solely based on Salvador Teran's designs. High quality, attention to detail and generous weight distinguish their work from other, "lesser known" modernist talleres yet to this day, a relationship between them and Teran has not been firmly established...

Vintage Topazio Portuguese sterling silver hinged bangle bracelet in a classic for the genre "harvest calendar" design in which different months of the year are illustrated by either a flower, fruit or other staple that characterizes them. I love these bracelets for their representation of the cyclical nature of time and their allusion to earlier decades when the availability of food depended on one's location and the specific season...

I am very partial to hinged bangle bracelets - you get the best of both worlds with them! - and I am very attracted to the Portuguese repousse examples...

Towering presence and one of the yummiest amethyst quartz spheres you have ever seen make this vintage Joachim S'Paliu ring a must-have addition to every well-dresser's jewelry box. Perched high up on a substantial concave sterling block the stone vibrates with the movement of purple, violet and light lavender waves that swirl around within it and the shank's chunky geometry matches the stone's proportions perfectly. A ring for the ones among us who don't hide away in the shadows it is currently...

The art of "metales casados" (mixed or married metals) was practiced by several Taxco workshops yet I think Victoria was its queen. Ana Maria Nunez de Brilanti combined copper, silver and brass not only to design exquisite jewelry but also hollowware of various kinds and decorative objects. In the necklace presented here she seems to be inspired by Egyptian Revival motifs which is not unusual for her - there are at least a couple of other parures she created that tread that same path. Distinctly...

Signed by Victoria who is often credited in the relevant literature with having perfected the "mixed metals" technique this big, bold combination pin / pendant brings together sterling silver, copper and brass in an Aztec Revival design. I am fascinated by the seamless marrying of the metals in "casados" pieces and Ana Nunez de Brilanti excelled in their design and crafting. Here, the round "shield" element is slightly concave and catches the light in ever-changing, fascinating ways. Wear it as ...

Crafted in the late 1950s or in the 1960s, this sterling silver Mexican necklace is signed by Victoria or Ana Maria Nunez de Brilanti. Victoria is one of the few female designers and silversmiths of Taxco’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance that we know of and she is credited, among others, for perfecting the “metales casados” or “married metals” technique. In this necklace, however, she adds a modernist twist to an otherwise “archeological” design. I cannot exactly pinpoint what it is th...