Circa mid-century, here is a Margot de Taxco zodiac pendant bracelet with Taurus the Bull. It's her design #s 5310 and 5233, and it's collector quality. It's a heavy, chunky, absolutely beautiful bracelet and one which shows up beautifully on the wrist. Closed wearable length is 6 5/8". Taurus charm/pendant measures 1 13/16 to the top of the bale, 1 9/16" wide. Weight is 97 grams...

Matching the "festoon with teardrops" necklace I recently sold, this set of earrings by the Los Castillo workshop is truly glamorous! I love the flair of the bifurcated element at the top with its curvaceous central semi-sphere which mirrors the sculptural elegance of the teardrop. And, please, note the playful articulation of the semi-circular links forming the main dangle. Aren't they just a pleasure? The earrings measure 1 3/4" long by 1 1/4" wide and weigh 17.5 grams (for the set)...

Spratling designed this stunning sterling silver piece during a period of time when he worked to develop a plan modeled on what he had done in Taxco, to help create an economic base for native Alaskans writes Penny Morrill in her book WILLIAM SPRATLING AND THE MEXICAN SILVER RENASSIANCE p.239. Inlaid with azur-malachite the pendant measures 4" X 3". The necklace is 18" long. Signed SPRATLING DE MEXICO & Eagle 13, hallmarks used by Spratling from 1949-51. All in beautiful condition...

For anniversary or wedding jewelry, there’s nothing more romantic than Alphonse Augis’ love token jewelry. Usually, they are round medallions, but this exceptionally rare piece is in the form of a love letter using a rebus to spell out “Plus qu’hier, moins que demain” (“More than yesterday, less than tomorrow,” a line from a love poem written by Rosemonde Gérard to her husband Edmond Rostand, author of “Cyrano de Bergerac” in 1889...

For anniversary jewelry, there’s nothing more romantic than this rare 18K yellow gold, diamond and ruby love token (“medaille d’amour”) ring with a rebus spelling out “Plus qu’hier, moins que demain” (“more than yesterday, less than tomorrow,”) a line from a love poem written by Rosemonde Gérard to her husband Edmond Rostand (author of “Cyrano de Bergerac”) in 1889...

An Art Deco pendant or charm displaying four playing cards each with the pip for an ace worked in black or red enamel. Four aces is an unbeatable hand in poker unless an opponent has a flush. The bottom edge of the charm is engraved “Réussité” (“Success”). The charm and the original jump ring are stamped with French 18K guarantee marks.

• Origin: France, ca...

A lovely early Art Nouveau 18K gold sliding locket by the acclaimed medallist Jean-Baptiste Emile Dropsy. The front cover shows a bare-shouldered woman wearing a diamond necklace and hair ornament feeding a diamond seed to a bird in mid-flight, all surrounded by a bough of chestnut leaves. The diamond accents (“habillé”) add a bit of sparkle to the design...

One of my favorite "less celebrated" Taxco maestros, Gerardo Lopez has been steadily gaining in popularity among collectors of vintage Mexican silver jewelry. I suspect that he worked for the Los Castillo and / or Margot de Taxco before he started his own taller as his creations are often reminiscent of designs issued by both famous workshops. Lopez's repoussage is masterful and the finishing on his jewelry impeccable...

A carefully crafted copy of one of Hubert Harmon's Mexican designs, this fabulous sterling silver and amethyst belt buckle is anonymous yet, as quite often is the case, the lack of a signature does not affect the piece's quality and beauty. Based on the workmanship I suspect this may be a Casa Maya example. Casa Maya issued many of Harmon's designs in brass primarily yet they did make them in sterling as well and quite often pieces in their parures went out in the marked without full hallmarks...

The early hallmarks on this brooch date 1940-1945. This pin was designed by Valentin Vidaurreta. Shown with onyx stones on p.79, II-12 in "Silver Masters of Mexico", also noted in this book is that Vidaurreta produced work both in his own workshop and at the Taller Borda, and that the pieces sold at Taller Borda were marked with the HA mark until the 1950's. This is an outstanding piece, large, exquisitely hand-crafted, and collector quality...

Part of an assembled demi parure the bracelet of which I will be presenting in the next couple of days, this sterling silver Danish necklace is one of Jensen’s classic designs. Elegance and impeccable craftsmanship defy the whims of time and fashion and here we have a piece of jewelry that falls under that magical category. These earlier creations of Jensen’s retain the soft, silky sculpturality of Danish Skønvirke work and the patina the silver develops over time only enhances that quality...

Spratling was known to have a large collection of Pre-Columbian Mayan & Olmec objects. He designed this necklace using hand wrought sterling silver beads, coral beads & hand carved obsidian Olmec figures most likely acquired from locals in the surrounding areas of Taxco, Mexico. The wearable length of the necklace is 16 inches and weighs 32 grams...

Crafted in the late 1950s or in the 1960s, this sterling silver Mexican necklace is signed by Victoria or Ana Maria Nunez de Brilanti. Victoria is one of the few female designers and silversmiths of Taxco’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance that we know of and she is credited, among others, for perfecting the “metales casados” or “married metals” technique. In this necklace, however, she adds a modernist twist to an otherwise “archeological” design. I cannot exactly pinpoint what it is th...