Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Silver: Mexican (257)

Not much is known - if anything at all - about Ars Plata whose signature is found on the Mexican silver and amethyst dangle earrings at hand. Bille Hougart lists an "Art Plat." in his book on Mexican silver hallmarks but I am not sure the two workshops / retailers (?) are the same. This lack of information is part of the field's reality yet it is always exciting to find a name not often encountered...

Stunning Los Castillo "doorknocker" dangle earrings, these beauties are breath-taking and beguilingly curvaceous. I love this design and it has been a long time since I had a similar set. Sensual curves, sculptural teardrops, discrete little scrolls and confident, masterful repoussage - there is nothing about the pair that was not paid attention to. Even the concave round elements that hide the screw-back at the earrings' top have been enhanced with oxidation...

Attributions are a difficult issue in the world of vintage Mexican silver jewelry - they are almost never accepted. If a piece is not signed, it’s just not signed! In this case, however, I will put my years of experience behind my suggestion that the necklace I am presenting here is the work of Reveriano Castillo. When I acquired it, it had no clasp and since the specific Reveri design is usually marked exactly there, the connection to its maker was lost...

I was always in love with beaded necklaces but as I grow older I appreciate their elegant comfort even more. Whether worn alone or combined with similar pieces, with stones or all-silver, they can be counted on to save the day whatever the occasion. This specific design by Carmen Beckmann is one of my absolute favorites - I have one in my jewelry box and I will never let go...

An early Mexican Deco bracelet, made in Mexico City as indicated by its hallmarks, this massive piece is as well-crafted as it is impressive. Impressive might even be an understatement, actually. Though it is true that vintage Mexican silver jewelry is not of the delicate, demure kind, even after so many years of researching, buying and selling them, I find myself at a loss for words when a piece like this shows up...

It is always exciting when I stumble upon a Mexican chain necklace made of polished, tumbled hard-stones caged in sterling silver. When that example happens to be from the pre-1948 period, I am elated! Made up of various agates and black onyx, maybe even a jasper here and there, the necklace at hand is perfect for the winter, its colors warm and cozy yet somewhat subdued , mirroring the dormant nature all around...

Lariat necklaces are a favorite of mine and when I come upon a good Mexican example, I make every effort to bring it to One Good Eye Silver. Truth be told, they don't come up as often as other forms but it is an exciting quest to pursue. The late Deco / retro piece I am presenting here is a clipless version - you can adjust it by tying a loose knot at the desired height and change the way it looks whenever you feel like it...

Two different sizes of sterling silver barrel beads adorned with a myriad of hand-made florets in the Etruscan style make up this generously long Mexican lariat necklace from the pre-1948 period. I am very partial to long necklaces and lariats are a small obsession of mine. When I am lucky enough to come upon an Etruscan example as the one presented here, my heart skips a beat...

One of the most interesting - and few - female figures of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance, Doris Smith Chamberlin was a Texas-born American who decided to move to Mexico in the 1940s to open her own workshop after having completed post-graduate studies in art and having taught woodworking, textile-making and silver-smithing for a few years in California (I am grateful to Decotini for the information)...

When I first started my love-affair with vintage Mexican silver jewelry, I found myself intrigued by the work of artists whose names were not among the first ones a new collector would focus on. I love a challenge and seeking out “less celebrated” maestros who nevertheless created superbly crafted jewelry in imaginative designs became my “mission”...

Perfect for the black turtlenecks and heavy coats of winter this vintage Mexican Deco silver and turquoise bird of paradise brooch is a stupendous work of art! Not only does its sheer size stun the eye, its layered sculpturality and curvaceous repoussage invites the touch and allows the light to play a thousand tricks hiding in its recesses and reflecting off its elevations...

One of my favorite “less celebrated” early Mexican maestros, AEM (or AE Heart as he is also referred to because of the way he signs his work) had his workshop in Mexico City and he created some really nice pieces. It has been a long time since I presented something by him but this set of “mesh and bead” dangle earrings more than compensates for the gap...

Potent design and perfect execution combine in this set of Antonio Pineda cufflinks shaped like bull skulls...

The combination of fine, high purity silver and moonstone is one of my favorite and was equally favored, it seems, by Antonio Pineda, Taxco's renowned modernist. Set in three-dimensional 970 silver settings the stones at hand have a luminous pearlescence that draws the eye into their magical depths, and perfectly reflect the warm glow of the precious metal surrounding them...

The combination of fine purity silver with silky, shimmering pearls is among my favorite when it comes to Antonio Pineda’s work. And the modernist floral brooch I am presenting here is a superb example not only of the renowned Taxco maestro’s exceptional sense of design but also of the quality of materials he used. I love the fluid, curvaceous body of the elongated “pod” and the tender forcefulness (I know, a contradiction in terms, right?) with which the stamens emerge out of it. Slick ...

I love pearls and when they are nested in an Antonio Pineda fine silver modernist setting, I consider myself in heaven! All the more so when it’s three glorious, softly shimmering pearls we are talking about. Graduated in size and each one a different hue, they are comfortably sitting in their precious channel, as if their only concern is to showcase the variety of nacre colors. The ring is a sz 8 1/2 US and 7/16” wide. It weighs 12.2 grams and is signed with Antonio's crown as shown alongs...

Inspired by an ancient Aztec or Maya eagle head glyph this set of Antonio Pineda cufflinks were crafted in the maestro’s favorite, .970 silver alloy. Overlay and oxidation are used here to convey the bird’s of prey features, fearsome by default yet a little bit on the cartoonish side as well, if I am allowed the comparison… Measuring approx. 3/4” square the pair weighs 16.2 grams and is fully signed with Antonio’s crown as shown, “970”, “HECHO EN MEXICO” and bears Eagle 58 as...

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 ... spread their wings and reach ...