Spratling uses one single rod of thick sterling silver to form this elegant "safety pin". Worked by hand, the detailed swan's head is formed, continuing down to the double looped turn, ending with the sleek, tapered point. Measuring 3 3/4 inches long and 1/2" wide the piece is in beautiful condition. The ingenious design allows for excellent tension in opening and closing the pin point. The thickness of the rod is most suitable for looser weaved fabric...

Early and gorgeous Matilde Poulat sterling silver and coral bracelet in one of her iconic designs, the "paloma". This is classic Matl with the bird rendered in textured repoussage, its wings open, ready to fly away. The dove is surrounded by coral cabochons both bezel- and channel-set while small pieces of branch coral adorn the links of the chain...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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"...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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. This might be one of the fie...

How often does one find an Antonio Pineda locket pendant? Not often enough and if one does come upon such a treasure, what are the odds that it’s going to be big, bold and beautiful like the rare, fantastic example offered here? Hefty and meticulously crafted, from the twist-rope and beading detail surrounding the stone’s bezel to the dramatic amethyst oval that takes up almost the locket’s entire face, to the substantial hand-made chain (by a different maker yet perfectly matching the pen...

An iconic design for Sigi Pineda, the "boomerang" can be found with tiger's eye, like here, as well as black onyx, obsidian, amethyst and chrysoprase. Contrasting niello-ed against glistening silver surfaces "boomerang" pieces exude a sense of slick, unimpeded movement and the wire-wrapped cabochons bring more color and added texture. An interesting detail about the pair of earrings at hand is that it has "transitional" findings - a combination of screw backs and clips that many find easier to n...

An accomplished member of the Mexico City school of repoussage, maestro M. Velazquez was a contemporary of Matilde Poulat's and many of his designs are actually based on Matl's originals. The level of craftsmanship and the quality of his work have contributed to his becoming increasingly sought after by collectors, especially with the high prices Poulat's creations realize. I love all his pieces but I have a particular affinity for his brooches and this one, I have never seen in the past. Intere...

Sterling overlay and three-dimensional stone frogs turn this Carmen Beckmann necklace into a small sculpture gallery around the neck! One of the few known to us female contributors to Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance albeit active a little later than the beginnings of the big Mexico City and Taxco workshops, she was based in San Miguel de Allende in the 1950s and 1960s and that is where she created most of her jewelry. Quite often borrowing motifs from Spratling's earlier pieces, Beckmann's j...