Catalog (325)

I have had this ring in my personal collection for several years now - always meaning to get it sized so I can enjoy - but I finally deciding to let it go. I have only seen this design once before, with a obsidian cab and a different shank but I really love how it looks with the “feathered serpent” jealously guarding an amethyst. Coiled around the stone, Quetzalcoatl is rendered in Mexico City-style repousse with bold recesses and hand-worked details, looking at the world out of a suspicious...

Matilde Poulat needs no introduction to the seasoned Mexican silver collector but I believe her work is equally appreciated by all lovers of bold, earthy, hand-crafted jewelry. Matl’s creations have a unique, powerful character - there is nothing timid or hesitant about them and I cherish them for exactly that. The ring presented here is a design that comes up less frequently than some of her other rings. It features Poulat’s signature wire-work ornamentation and channel-set turquoise cabs b...

Dating in the earlier period of Matilde Poulat’s extraordinary career, the cross pendant presented here is adorned with Matl’s favorite stones - turquoise, amethyst and coral. Inspired by Mexico’s rich folk art, it belongs in her daringly eye-catching series of “jeweled” creations but here, there is an additional motif that makes the pendant even more precious. Namely, the two small repousse angel dangles, facing each other in a kneeling position with lit candles in their hands. The st...

Wrought in .900 silver which Matilde Poulat used in the early period of her career this stunning silver repousse brooch develops around a carved black onyx “mask”. Matl’s work is always impressive - no one could ever blame her creations for timidity - but it seems to me that the repoussage of her first years is even bolder. One would think that the combination of exuberant silver-work, cleverly applied oxidation and the patina of time would clash with the austere minimalism of the carved p...

It looks like this is a Matl year for One Good Eye Silver and I couldn't be happier about it! A few months ago I presented a Deco Matilde Poulat cross pendant necklace with kneeling angels and today I am featuring another, possibly earlier, variation of the design but this one wrought in fine, .980 silver. There are some additional motifs to the candle-holding celestial beings and the "jewels" in the pendant at hand - the cross is flanked by repousse little doves fluttering above its two arms an...

Elegant and "quiter" than most Matilde Poulat jewelry, this early repousse bracelet by the big maestra exhibits nonetheless all the attributes Matl's work is avidly sought after and venerated for. Repoussage that creates a body with impeccable texture and perfect finishing, a gorgeous golden sheen obsidian cabochon and, of course, the Mexico City style silver-work which to me represents Mexico's Arts and Crafts movement. What is there not to love here? I am very attracted to the size which allow...

Impressive in its generous width, with a gorgeous greenish blue turquoise bezel-set in its central station, this early Matilde Poulat silver bracelet is wrought en repoussage in the “Mexico City style“ she came to represent. Malt’s repousse work leaves the journey of the silversmith’s tools on the jewelry created intentionally visible and that for me brings her close to the philosophy of the Arts and Crafts movement. Yet she is also as “Mexican Deco” as anyone could ever be - her pie...

A Mexican version of the classic "giardinetto" jewelry, this set of Matilde Poulat earrings is rather unusual with its all-silver vase that holds the flowers. All tell-tale characteristics of Matl's creativity are here though: the silver has a hand-hammered texture, the wire-work with its tiny beading surrounds the vase like an undulating silk ribbon, there are small round dangles hanging off each earring's bottom and, last but not least, we have intense splashes of color from the coral and turq...

Very reminiscent of the work Taxco maestro Mateo created in the 1970s and 1980s, this fine, 950 silver Mexican ring is signed by a different, unidentified maker yet its quality and strong presence make it one of the best examples of the form I have seen lately. The sculptural, substantial setting is complemented by the malachite’s rich, vibrant liquidity while the design’s recesses have been oxidized to enhance the sense of depth and dimension. If you love statement rings, this one is for yo...

The story of this Mexican Deco silver and turquoise hinged bangle is an interesting one. When it came to me, it had a rather hastily applied gold plating that looked both out of place and, should I say?, garish. I cannot understand why anybody would do such a thing yet many a time, in discussions with older bench jewelers, I have been told that a few decades ago this was indeed a trend of sorts. Very rarely do I decide to intervene in a similarly dramatic way on old jewelry but this was a very ...

Based on one of Spratling's early designs, this "ring with three cascabeles" was also made in Taxco and wrought in high purity, .980 silver. I believe the motif is the same here as that in the renowned maestro’s tortoise shell and silver "snake" box - the more I look at it, the more I think of writhing serpents with spotted skins. And having sold Spratling’s original in the past, I can assure you the ring at hand is a worthy, very well made alternative. Measuring a snug sz 6 US (difficult to...

One of my favorite insect designs in the world of vintage Mexican silver jewelry, this “machine age” dragonfly is known as a Los Castillo creation yet here it is signed by a “less celebrated” Taxco maestro. What first attracted me to this creature is its “industrial”, perforated wings that make the dragonfly look more delicate but awe-inspiring at the same time. Carefully hand-crafted and perfectly finished, the brooch is decorated with three polished agate cabochons. Green is for sp...

Signed by a listed yet still unidentified workshop, this set of vintage silver and gold cufflinks is a classic Mexican Deco design. Inspired by the massive Aztec carved stone "Sun Disk" discovered in 1790 during excavations in Mexico City's zocalo, the pair is generous in size and quite nicely made. When I first acquired it, I thought it had a simple vermeil finish but as I was preparing it to list, I realized that it is hallmarked for both sterling and 14k so I am assuming that the cufflinks' f...

A glorious emulation of Spratling's "Aztec Sun" design, the early Mexican Deco silver and amethyst cuff at hand combines repoussage and overlay with cleverly applied oxidation that adds more depth and drama to an already stunning bracelet. This is a generously proportioned piece so if you always craved a cuff like it but couldn't find one to fit, don't miss this opportunity. If its rich purple stones, the deeply chased repousse and appliques and those daring slender silver rays bursting out of t...

An early Mexican Deco silver repousse "mask" brooch, this pieces is wrought in sterling and its maker adorned their portrait with a long, dangling earring. It is evident from the piece's craftsmanship that its creator was well-trained maestro. Despite the thinner gauge of sterling sheet used, there is depth and good definition in the repoussage which result in easily "readable" details and good sculpturality. I have had many "mask" jewelry over the years by both anonymous and well-known makers a...

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. Impressive in its sculpturalit...

Deeply carved so as to represent folds in a fancy bow tie the green agate in this big Mexican Deco brooch has beautiful color variation and is pleasantly "soft" to the touch. The substantial stone is generously backed in silver and held in place with sturdy, hand-wrought prongs. Classically Deco, I also find it rather tongue-in-cheek, an elegant "mockery" of the stiffness of "proper attire". The brooch measures 3" wide by 1 1/2" tall and weighs 33.6 grams. It is marked "SILVER MEXICO", dates in ...

Based on one of William Spratling's most classic, early designs this Mexican Deco silver and amethyst ring is an anonymous beauty from the same period the renowned designer was active. Lean and mean in its constitutive motifs, it nevertheless packs a powerful visual punch what with the mysterious depths of its cloudy cabochon and the curves of the beading on either side of the stone. Classic and classy indeed the ring is currently a sz 6 US (yet easily re-sized by your jeweler) with its face mea...