An early 20th c. rare pair of Chinese silver vermeil repousse bangles adorned with highly stylized bird figures, which according to Susan Dods might well be Mandarin ducks or pigeons whose mating for life made them appropriate themes for wedding jewelry. In the pair at hand, one of the bangles has bezel set jade cabs and the second has coral. There are four gems in each piece , all perfect and secure in their settings and their enamel decoration is executed in two shades of blue...

Old Chinese silver repousse bracelet in a sweet size for smaller to medium wrists, each link featuring one of the Eight Immortals. This is an open repoussage example, exquisitely crafted, with great patina. It measures a wearable 6 3/4" long by 1 5/8" wide and weighs 22.4 grams. It is marked "SILVER" and "CHINA" in early, raised letters and is in excellent vintage condition. First third of the 20th c..

One of the most beautiful early 20th c. Chinese bracelets of this kind that I have seen, this piece is studded with perfectly cut tiger's eye cabochons. The vivid blue, purple and green enamels reflect brightly off the vermeil finish while the extra security of the safety chain is a welcome plus. Measuring 7" long (wearable) by 1 1/2' wide, the bracelet weighs 49.8 grams. It is marked "SILVER CHINA" and in excellent vintage condition.

Made around the turn of the 20th c., a cast silver Austro-Hungarian bracelet with an old vermeil finish that has darkened over time and coral cabochons set in raised bezels. I am always amazed at the detail of these pieces - here even the connectors have little applied florets adorning them. The bracelet measures 6 3/4" long (wearable) by 1 1/1/8" wide and weighs 37.0 grams. The bracelet itself is not signed (yet guaranteed of at least .800 purity) but the safety chain is marked "1/20 12k GF"...

I am thrilled to present a demi by Niels Erik From of Denmark wrought in sterling silver and adorned with amber cabochons. This is in my opinion one of From's best designs, exhibiting that amazing sensitivity to nature that Scandinavian jewelry is so known for. The necklace measures 16 1/4" long with its floral links part being 7" long by 5/8" wide; the earrings are clip-ons and 1" in diameter while the brooch is 1 3/8" in diameter...

Quintessentially Deco in its angularity and the tiered construction of its links, this necklace is signed by yet another "unsung" maestro of early Taxco. I don't think that Narvaez is even mentioned in the literature (at least not in what I have looked at) yet I have come upon his work a few times before and came to associate this specific design with his name...

I love Margot de Taxco's enamel work - the enameling is simply perfect, the colors are so difficult to emulate and the design and color combinations to die for...

Combining ancient pre-Conquest motifs and Christian decorative elements the cross of San Juan Yalalag from Oaxaca is one of the most sought after folk art crosses from Central America. Presented here is a truly monumental example of exceptional quality that successfully marries the Yalalag cross with the craftsmanship of Etruscan-style jewelry and a sweet tiger's eye cabochon set at its very center...

Among the less celebrated early Taxco maestros, Del Rio's work is characterized by rather classic, geometric designs in which he embeds hardstones, art glass and abalone...

Early Sigi Pineda combination pin/pendant necklace from the first years of his independent career, when his taller was still called "Plateros". Nested in a biomorphic concave "shell", the minimalist figure of a man playing a green stone drum (at least to my eyes) hangs from a tube link chain. The work has Sigi's abstract design signature and exudes a raw animism that catches the eye and the imagination...

Signed by one of my favorite less "celebrated" maestros a rare, very impressive bracelet adorned with a hand-carved sky blue agate figurine of a seahorse. I like to call the specific maker "the heart artist" because his signature (I am assuming we are talking about a man!) consists of the initials A and E in a heart-shaped "M". Not much is known about him though he is listed...

I am really fond of these "clamshell" modernist bracelets that came out of Taxco in the mid-1940s and 1950s! In fact, I am very partial to the whole line of jewelry in that design - from necklaces to rings to pendants, brooches and earrings...