Beautiful antique Edwardian long drop screwback earrings in sterling silver and 10KT white gold with paste rhinestones. Circa 1910. With paste rhinestones in closed settings, and one unfoiled stone on the center drop of each earring in an openback setting. The stones are held with tiny prongs. Marked STERLING with an illegible maker's mark, and also marked 10KT on the backs of the screwbacks...
Glistening caramel golds and molten browns dominate in this Cecilia Tono Mexican modernist bang ring. This is one of my favorite Taxco collaborations - the jewelry that came out of it slick and inventive with the highest quality of craftsmanship and the best of materials. There is nothing excessive about this ring - except maybe the heftiness of its oxidized setting - yet it immediately attracts the eye and holds the gaze captive with its liquid warmth and its generous width...
In my last treasure-hunting adventure I ended up with a couple of really really nice cross pendants and necklaces. The first one to gain center stage is this two-sided Flli Coppini Italian silver example. Executed in the .800 alloy that was the Italian standard until 1934, the pendant is crisply cast and its profusion of detail and ornamentation is easily readable to the eye...
Confident in his prowess as a warrior and comfortable in his ceremonial attire this Margot de Taxco silver and enamel Aztec figure can be enjoyed both as a brooch as well as a pendant. Though experimentation with the art of enameling started while Margot was still part of the Los Castillo workshop, it was after her divorce with Antonio that she focused on perfecting it in her own, independent taller. And perfect it she did...
Bearing the signature of Pedro Castillo this bracelet is, for me, a fusion of classic Taxco "arhaeological" as well as modernist elements. The overlay is immaculately crafted - one would never expect less from a Castillo - and the design lends itself to several readings...
In the style associated with Matilde Poulat the Mexican Deco sterling silver brooch presented here is big, bold and beautiful! Wrought en repoussage and embellished with hand-chasing feathers and beads surround three gorgeous turquoise cabochons in shades of blue and green. The brooch is open-backed like many of Matl’s early pieces and a pleasure to wear and to behold. It measures
2 3/4” wide by 1 7/8” tall and weighs 17.8 grams...
A graduate of the Parson's School of Design in Paris, Erika Hult de Corral is one of my favorite modernist designers and silversmiths in the context of Mexican silver jewelry. Spanning a few decades, her work is unfailingly of the highest quality with attention paid not only to materials but also to finishing and, of course, imaginative design. The ring presented here, wrought in sterling and centered by a scrumptious tiger's eye stone, can also be found with Enrique Ledesma's signature...
Possibly the most "surrealist" early Mexican Deco "mask" brooch I have ever had, this piece is the source of so many questions for me. What is it exactly that it depicts with its "portrait" surrounded by an elaborate headdress, the two arms emanating right from its top with no actual body present? And what is the "mask" itself made of? It registers as a stone in my gem-tester but I am not sure if it is onyx or a different type of opaque, black stone...
Stinn Modernist sterling silver abstract necklace
Pendant - 2" x 1"
Chain measures 17" when outstretched
Marked Stinn, sterling
Excellent vintage condition
Large and beautifully crafted Navajo Silver and Turquoise ring, size 8 3/4", measuring 1 3/4" long and 1" wide, and 1 1/4" high from base of band to top of stone.
The stone has a lovely caramel and brown matrix, with a deep turquoise green tone.
It is signed "sterling" and has a maker's mark that is not clear.
From a collection of good Navajo jewelry, most pre 1980s.
In good condition, some wear and slight tarnist visible to silver, but the stone is in perfect condition, nicely polished and ...
A classic combination for Enrique Ledesma, the marrying of sterling and stone, makes this vintage Mexican bracelet an easily recognizable creation by the renowned Taxco modernist. The stone is here azur-malachite, I believe, with greens and browns predominant and the warmth of the silver casings adds a certain "inner glow" to it...
Slender, elongated, hand-wrought fine silver feathers that end in a playful curl make up this set of "swan wing" modernist earrings by Antonio Pineda. I have to admit that this is one of the most unexpected Antonio creations I have ever encountered. When I first saw it, I thought that the clip-ons would have to surely be a later replacement yet I have since seen a similar pair and that one too had the same findings. Now these are earrings for those not afraid to .....
Circa mid-century, this ring was produced by Antonio Pineda.
It's a thick and substantial ring, with a superb modernist twist design...
These mid-century earrings from Antonio Pineda are large and unusual. The primitive hunter design is said to have been based on the Lascaux cave drawings, used on several of his pieces. I have the matching bracelet in my shop.
These dangle earrings are quite substantial, measuring 2" top to bottom, with a width of 1 7/16".
Weight is 28.5 grams...
Straddling the divide between Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts design, this hinged sterling silver buckle bracelet was, I believe, made in the USA based on its hallmarking...
This brooch by Matilde Poulat features a large amethyst front and center, with turquoise cabochons and coral branches in a butterfly design with dangles.
Measures 2" tall x 1 1/2" wide. Pin closes with a rolling "C" clasp.
Weight is 11.8 grams.
Signed and hallmarked "Matl Mexico 925", with the eagle assay 129. Dates to pre-1960.
Circa mid-century, this Los Castillo pin is a spectacular work of wearable art, and features one of their most iconic designs.
It's a multi-dimensional piece with superb repoussé silver work, highly detailed, and absolutely collector quality.
Measures 3 1/4" x 2". Pin closes with a roller.
Weight is a very substantial 30.8 grams.
Signed and hallmarked with the early linear mark "Los Castillo Taxco Sterling Made in Mexico", along with the design ...
Early pre-eagle large bracelet with a lacy flower form pattern. Circa 1940. Marked STERLING 925 TAXCO. With a darkened aged finish. It weighs 59
grams. This piece and most of the other Mexican silver I have listed came from one long time collector's estate. 4 inches wide in the front and with a
wearable length (when the edges meet) of 7 inches. Excellent condition. No dents. Photos enlarged to show detail. Display form is life size.