There is nothing simplistic or facile about Francisco Rivera’s jewelry! A maestro who loved overlay, paid attention to detail and finishing, created pieces that cry out to be held and touched and enjoyed he is, in my opinion, still to be recognized as the talented, inspired silversmith and designer that he was...

This lovely pair of handmade silver earrings designed by Taxco, Mexico artist Hector Aguilar measure 1 3/4" x 1 3/4" and weigh 21 grams. Each earring is accented with a turquoise cab. All five of the earring hoops move freely. The screw backs are in fine working order. The earrings are in beautiful condition with a soft aged patina. Fully hallmarked HA 940 TAXCO with eagle #9.

The name of Plateria Cortes, a Taxco retail store is often found on jewelry signed by Enrique Ledesma and this is the case with the modernist sterling silver and green stone necklace at hand. This type of curved trapezoid links embellished with inlay is a signature design for the maestro yet here there are two sections of stone in each station which is a welcome variation that does not come up as often as the typical single segment...

A very difficult design to find, Margot de Taxco's no 5384 is sheer geometry and a celebration of dark, rich oxidation. It is understandable then that I feel fortunate to have come upon the extra-wide hinged bracelet from the parure. Raised sterling bands around the perimeter of the cut-out design lend three-dimensional appeal which is further accentuated by the black surfaces they define...

This iconic tour-de-force Antonio Pineda bracelet pulls out all the stops. This design graces the cover of "Silver Seduction : The Art of Mexican Modernist Antonio Pineda".

Weighing in at a staggering 222.5 grams, this bracelet is composed of alternating trapezoidal silver panels tipped with onyx. The onyx gemstones are hand-cut and polished, and the panels are pin-hinged. This is an amazing piece, executed in almost pure (97%) silver...

Lovely sterling and smokey quartz clip earrings by Arizona Modernist H. Fred Skaggs. Photo #3 shows the stones under bright light but the first 2 photos are how the color of the stones appear in routine lighting. Weighing 18 grams total, they measure 1 1/8" by 1 1/8" and are in fine original condition. Signed as shown. Gorgeous !

Spectacular sterling and coral clip earrings in what appears to be a starfish pattern by Frank Patania Sr. The stones are saw tooth bezel set and there is a beautiful, fine textured pattern in the silver. Measuring 2 3/8" long and 1 1/4" wide, they weigh 31 grams total and are in fine original condition. Signed as shown. Rare and show stopping when on the ears.

An iconic creation for Enrique Ledesma, this design can be found in all jewelry forms and with various stones. There is something very sculptural in the way the stone is cut that bestows an irresistible tactile quality to it and the case of the brooch at hand is no exception. Predominantly green with sage overtones yet not lacking rich blues and more muted browns, the azur-malachite is securely set in its warmly glowing silver frame...

This eye-catching design by Taxco, Mexico artist Hector Aguilar measures 18" long by 1" wide and weighs 105 grams. Hand-wrought in 940 sterling silver, this mid 20th century necklace is in beautiful condition with a tight and secure clasp. Hallmarked on the clasp HA 940 TAXCO with eagle #9. These hallmarks are pictured on p.13 of Silver Masters of Mexico by Penny Morrill...

Properly hallmarked by Margot de Taxco and bears this very rare design 5581A. It is fine line enamel and is 1 1/8th of an inch tall and further showing off a weight of 126 grams of silver. The diameter is 4.5 inches for sizing. There is no damage to the silver or enamel. I have never seen this flip of the silver on it's ends and it is absolutely beyond charming. A huge YES for collectors and beautifiers, just LOOK AT THAT NECKLACE!

The most fun Sigi Pineda earrings I have ever had, this set is in fact the first in a series of three pairs I will be presenting, all in the same design vein. Quirky and definitely playful, the figures look as if springing out of a child's sketch book. Human? Penguin? A combination of the two? Whatever the case, they are striking, rendered in silver and opaque black oxidation, a surrealist representation of wearable bipeds...

A favorite designer of mine, Carmen Beckmann is one of the few female contributors to Mexico’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance that we know of. Mostly modernist, her work is known for its massive, at times, proportions (especially with her hinged bracelets) and her masterful use of semi-precious stones and gems. The star-form ring at hand is centered by a big, faceted color-change sapphire, that varies between amethyst and steely purple as the light changes...

I promised yesterday that I had two more of those Sigi Pineda surrealist figures dangle earring sets to present and here is the second pair. There is something as endearing as it is quirky about the specific design line - I am not sure what Sigi was into when he created these - but I find them all weirdly irresistible. Overlay and oxidation are used here too to convey the human form, its hands crossed on the chest, turning a minimalist profile away from the onlooker...

Just shy of 2" long, I give you the third and last and definitely quirkiest set of Sigi Pineda silver earrings I have been talking about. I happened to come upon the first of these in early summer, fell in love with its cartoonish strangeness - I had never seen this line of Sigi's before. And since all good things come in threes, I found two more pairs in the months following that initial discovery...

Beautifully executed this Mexican silver and dyed calcite "mask-in-a-feathered-sunburst" brooch is based on a similar Spratling design (if I am not mistaken). Sunburst designs were popular among Mexican silversmiths in the first half of the 20th c. - a giver of life and warmth, the sun is important in all civilizations and its portrayal took on a myriad of symbolic meanings...

A design that doesn’t come up very often, these figural Mexican Deco silver earrings by Los Castillo remind me of Old World “wind” representations. I love the sense of powerful forward motion they convey with the curling repousse silverwork and the feather-like trail that the “winds” leave behind them as they sweep through the skies. I wonder what the rest of the parure looks like...

Big, heavy and bold, the Los Ballesteros “beehive” pendant can be found with “masks” carved in amethyst, dyed calcite, azurite, black onyx and even obsidian yet I have never seen one like the example I am thrilled to be presenting here! Very reminiscent of Old World “moon face” jewelry, the portrait in our case is rendered in a light, lemon-colored stone. On my gem tester the stone registers in the citrine/quartz area and even though I would love to say it is citrine, I will stay on ...

Casting of very good quality, a huge amethyst gemstone and a long chain with figural links combine in this Italian Peruzzi style pendant necklace to create one of those pieces that collectors covet and all of us dream about. I believe we have here a convergence of two Revival movements - Classical Revival in the sterling chain with its theater mask links and Gothic Revival with the two dragons flanking that amazing amethyst. I particularly love the big spring ring clasp that allows you to easily...