Catalog (260)

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. Measuring 2 1/4" long by 1 1/8" wid...

Signed by a listed but still unidentified Taxco maestro, this pair of exuberant sterling silver chandelier earrings is set with some of the most vibrant turquoise teardrops I have seen. Yet it is not just the stones that elevate it above and beyond your everyday earrings. The silver-work is equally gorgeous, the hand-cut and deeply chased frames given "body" with just a tad of repoussage and wisely applied oxidation. And did I mention that color in the turquoise??? Measuring 1 7/8" long (incl...

Signed by my favorite Mexican modernist, this set of Salvador Teran earrings in the so-called "crouching man" design combines sterling, strategically placed oxidation and richly speckled azur-malachite stones. I consider Teran a true genius - his jewelry has that inner power that holds the gaze and the imagination captive and sends them on surreal journeys into worlds familiar and at the same time strange and wondrous. Based on ancient Mesoamerican motifs that the maestro re-interprets in unexpe...

Stunning and rare, especially in its use of the specific stone, this vintage Mexican silver necklace features a combination pin / pendant signed by Taxco's foremost lapidary, Felipe Martinez, and a substantial chain from the same period which I believe might be by the same maestro as it bears an Eagle assay mark that Martinez used. And yes, the superbly carved "mask" is teased out of tiger's eye stone though a more unusual kind that it often referred to as "hawk's" or "falcon's eye". I have sold...

A retail shop in Taxco, according to Bille Hougart, Plateria Cortes is a name also found on some of Enrique Ledesma pieces, most probably because they were sold there. So my first thought when I saw this set of vintage Mexican silver surrealist earrings was that they might have been made by Ledesma. And then it all came back to me - a couple of years ago, I sold three sets of earrings in the same exact style (and actually even a pair like the one at hand) clearly signed for Sigi Pineda. Interest...

After working for Spratling in Las Delicias and Hector Aguilar in Taller Borda, Reveriano Castillo opened his shop Reveri in 1952 with the co-operation of his wife, Maria. His jewelry is known for its impeccable finishing and the good quality of materials used so I am always happy to come upon one of his creations. The set of earrings at hand in an abstract floral design with articulated stamen dangle is as sweet-as-can-be and ideal to celebrate the coming of Spring this year. Measuring 1 3/4...

Hand-hammered silver reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts movement and a jade bead that brings to mind ancient Aztec and Maya jewelry combine in this sterling silver ring by the Los Castillo. The specific design does not come up very often. In all my years of buying and selling vintage Mexican jewelry I have only had two examples - the second one being the one offered here. Simple yet not simplistic, easy to wear, a pleasure to behold the ring is currently a sz 8 US (resizable by your jeweler) an...

Vintage set of Mexican fine silver concave cufflinks signed by Antonio Pineda, this pair is wrought in the renowned Taxco modernist's .970 alloy. I love the sculptural lusciousness of the flat-bottomed ovoid body and the wave-like motion by which its edges rise and drop around the central hollow. In a slick mid-century design that can be easily enjoyed by just about everybody the cufflinks are 1 3/16" long by 7/8" wide and weigh 23.4 grams (for the set). They are fully marked with Antonio's cro...

I never tire of the double-sided pendant necklaces Victor Jaimez created for Emma Melendez. The perfect blend of Aztec Revival and modernismo Mexicano, they are unfailingly characterized by craftsmanship of the highest level and meticulous finishing. At the same time dramatic and awe-inspiring, the pendant's two sides showcase several techniques as overlay, oxidation and mozaico inlay come together to create the image of Quetzalcoatl and the abstract figure of a Meso-american monkey. The chain ...

Dating in the earlier period of Matilde Poulat’s extraordinary career, the cross pendant presented here is adorned with Matl’s favorite stones - turquoise, amethyst and coral. Inspired by Mexico’s rich folk art, it belongs in her daringly eye-catching series of “jeweled” creations but here, there is an additional motif that makes the pendant even more precious. Namely, the two small repousse angel dangles, facing each other in a kneeling position with lit candles in their hands. The st...

A book piece for Sigi Pineda, the “boomerang” brooch belongs in a line of jewelry in which the Taxco modernist combined layering, purposefully applied oxidation and vividly colored semi-precious and hard- stones to create slick, modernist, I would even say space-age, designs that seems as relevant today as they did when they were first introduced to the world. What I always found amazing about this brooch is the ingenious - and quite minimal - way the stone (chrysoprase in our case) is incor...

I acquired this pair of Miguel Melendez’s hinged bangles as a set some time ago and after long deliberations, I decided that they should continue in life as such. Miguel is one of Taxco’s modernists yet he honed his skills at Spratling’s Las Delicias and working for Margot de Taxco for many years. This specific design is a favorite of mine’s by him - it brings to mind rock formations and I love the interplay of negative and positive space. I am also attracted to the specific stone that ...

It's been a very long time since I offered a Mexican clamper bracelet and I am happy to be starting again with a classic Taxco design, this repousse and shadowbox "Quetzalcoatl" example. The maestro who signs it I am familiar with - he worked in Taxco and it seems that clamper bracelets were one of his favorite forms. Always beautifully executed, his repoussage has good sculpturality and finishing and his jewelry, albeit not as heavy as those of the big talleres, has the weight necessary to impa...

Richly colored azur-malachite stone is paired with warmly glowing sterling in this chunky modernist Mexican silver bracelet signed by none other than the maestro of Piedra y Plata, Felipe Martinez. Martinez is one of my absolute favorite Taxco silversmith and a superb lapidary as well. He has an uncanny ability to pair silver with stone that works every single time, as if the two materials were just made to be together. Quite substantial, this specific design I have had in the past with amethyst...

How often does one find a ring by renowned Taxco modernist Enrique Ledesma? Let me answer my question - almost never! Over the years of my buying, selling and researching vintage Mexican silver jewelry, I have come upon a few examples, almost all of them adorned with a color-change sapphire. I had never seen a ring in the design I am presenting here until I discovered this one some time ago. All other pieces in the parure (necklaces, bracelets, brooches and earrings) can be found relatively easi...

The indisputable queen of Mexican enamelwork, Margot de Taxco created an amazing series of jewelry in that technique which she first started focusing on while still married to Antonio Castillo and designing for the family workshop. As with her other jewelry here too the sources of inspiration were varied covering distances not only in geographical space but also in time. From fiery Quetzalcoatls to Egypt's beguiling Cleopatra; from the world of flora and fauna surrounding her all the way bac...

It's been a while since I presented a piece by Gerardo Lopez but he is one of my favorite Taxco maestros, a talented silversmith and designer who excelled in the art of repoussage. I believe Lopez was at his best when he created pectoral necklaces and clamper bracelets and it is an exquisite example of the latter form that I am showing here. Definitely inspired by Los Castillo and Margot de Taxco (I have suggested in the past that Lopez must have worked for either one or both of the famous works...

A classic design for renowned Taxco modernist Enrique Ledesma, this set of vintage sterling silver Mexican mid-century earrings comes with clips and is set with green inlay, possibly azur-malachite or some kind of agate. There is nothing fussy about the pair - good, honest materials, clarify of form and fluidity of lines. Isn't that the essence of modernism? Measuring 1 1/8" tall by 3/4" wide the earrings weigh 9.8 grams (for the set) and are fully and appropriately signed with maker's name as ...