One of the few female designers and silversmiths who contributed to Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance that we know about, Carmen Beckmann is reported in the literature to have worked primarily in the 1950s and 1960s in San Miguel de Allende. I am not sure if this is indeed the case, at least in terms of the dates when she was active and I only say this because many of the pieces by her that I have seen bore hallmarks that would indicate a pre-1948 date of crafting...

Filipe Martinez was well known at being the best stone cutter laying the stone next to the silver with no space in between. This is an outstanding example of such. The obsidian is a turned on sheen so strong I photographed and different light levels to help you see it in an in person sort of way. The necklace is 16 inches long 1.25 inches tall as well as the bracelet and the earrings. The bracelet is 7in. long. There is a 216 gram combined weight...

A most beautiful Frank Patania Senior cuff offered here with 7 large nuggets of turquoise. These nuggets measure 5/8th's tall and the overall height of the cuff is 2 inches. The length of the silver is 6.25 inches and the inside diameter is 2 3/8th's inches. There is a 1in. gap as well. Silver nuggets are dispersed an each side of the stones. Masterfull hand chasing and a heft of 112 grams. A huge presence and at an auction price value.

One of the demanding techniques the Los Castillo workshop is credited with, onix negro (black onyx) was introduced by them in the world of Taxco silver-smithing in the early 1950s and it has resulted in some amazing pieces of jewelry. Set within a carefully carved piece of flat-cut black onyx, the silver elements of a design are then ground down to match the stone surface in a seamless, perfect plane...

Mid-century mod "peas-in-a-pod" Mexican silver dangle earrings, this set is signed by Sigi Pineda and it's an iconic creation for the renowned Taxco modernist. I think Sigi was at his best when he worked with designs that contrasted niello-ed surfaces with brushed silver pearls. There is nothing classier than the marriage of black and gleaming sterling yet the textured beads add a dimension that enriches the earrings' visual impact...

There is not one form of jewelry in which the Los Castillo did not excel yet I think their big, bold repousse brooches are simply above and beyond! The example I am presenting here, most probably an early creation if design numbers are indeed good indicators of when during the workshop's life a specific idea was transformed into jewelry, reflects the Egyptian Revival of the Deco period...

Nice estate ring - a vintage bicolor 14Kt gold basket weave ring, in white and yellow gold. Size: 6 1/2. Weight: 4 4 grams. 20th century.

A Carl Art 14Kt yellow gold pin/brooch with double leaves and 7 cultured pearls. Weight: 6.4 grams. Size: 1 5/8 inches length. Late 20th Century.

A vintage 14Kt yellow gold 'Love' charm bracelet, with 5 gold charms suspended from a complex bracelet with circular and woven wirework links. The charms are variously set with seed pearls and amethyst and ruby gemstones. All but the largest charm are stamped 14K, one by Mendelsohn & Martinez, from Providence, RI. Size: 7.25 in. length. Weight: 58.5 grams. The largest square charm is gold but unmarked, with the saying 'I Love You.'

A tailored piece of jewelry is this versatile drop shape mabe pearl pendant / enhancer set in 14Kt yellow gold. A chain can slip through the bail as a pendant, or the bail can be opened to use it as an enhancer on pearls or other beads. The pendant is 1 ¼” long and ½” wide.

A stunner of a brooch, this Antonio Pineda sterling silver and amethyst floral cluster hails the maestro's finding himself as a modernist. Antonio's early pieces betray the strong influence Valentin Vidauretta exerted on his work, so much so that one acquainted with Pineda's classic design period would find it difficult to recognize them as Antonio creations. Yet here, the artist has already found his "hand"...

Imposing presence and a beautiful green stone that I believe is agate combine in this vintage Mexican silver ring by the Los Ballesteros workshop. A mid-century piece in terms of its age, the ring does, however, retain the architecturality that Deco jewelry is known and sought after for...

A fashionable 14Kt yellow gold and shell cameo bracelet is set with six 10 X 8 millimeter oval shell cameos. The 14Kt rope edged frames are connected by double width C links. The length of the bracelet is 7 3/8” and the width at the widest part is 7/16”.

Margot de Taxco's design no 5194, her "roses" parure, is one of her most romantic, "feminine" creations. There is something so tactile about the small silver flowers linking together to make up necklaces, bracelets and brooches that brings a certain kind of "first love" warmth to the heart and puts a smile on the face. Quite often combined with hearts and cupids, the "roses" are the quintessentially "lovers' jewelry" motif...

One of Taxco's early maestros, Jose Luis Flores worked for Aguilar as well as for Emma and Miguel Melendez. Carefully crafted and meticulously finished, his jewelry is often based on creations by his more renowned colleagues yet he can be quite creative and original himself. In my opinion, he is at his best within the realm of modernist design and I believe that the bracelet presented here attests to that...

An antique Georgian era gold ring with an intaglio cut stone profile of a classical youth. Early 19th century. Size: 5/8 in. ht.

Good early Mexican Deco silver repousse jewelry is becoming harder to find - I don't know if it's because there weren't that many to begin with (quite often repoussage from that period seems a little clumsy, the technique needing additional experimenting with) or that at some point their popularity grew so much that they were "scooped up" from the market. Whatever the case, I am thrilled to be presenting this fantastic cuff bracelet with two saturated purple amethyst cabs here...

An early Taxco maestro, Manuel Altamirano worked for both Aguilar and Valentin Vidaurreta. With the former, he shares what has come to be known as the "armadillo" parure, out of which you can see here the quite impressive belt buckle. Evocative of the “armor plates” covering the body of the namesake creatures, the buckle's links are graduated in size and adorned with short, flat-topped round appliques...