Catalog (261)

One of my favorite William Spratling designs, the original (bearing his signature) "hummingbird" pendant necklace I have seen crafted in all-silver and silver combined with black onyx or obsidian. I am sure other configurations must be available which I have not encountered so it is understandable that I was elated to discover this version marrying sterling with copper. My first surprise was followed by a second when I saw that the piece at hand was signed by Mari. In the back of my head, Mari w...

Maestro Damaso Gallegos was for years associated in my mind with the Mexican Deco "Christmas jewelry” tradition. His “holly and bells” as well as “bow and bells” designs are a classic way to celebrate the coming of the holiday season yet in the last couple of years I keep stumbling upon totally unexpected pieces by him. The massive, early Taxco combination pin / pendant with the carved stone “mask” at hand is crafted in high purity, .980 silver with overlay, beading and oxidation. ...

Known for their high quality of holloware primarily, Ingrid's remains even today one of those elusive actors in the story of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance. Active in the 1930s and 1940s, as Bille Hougart reports, this retailer seems to have been the venue through which well-known maestros like Chato Castillo sold some of their creations. Based on my experience I can say that jewelry bearing their signature is not very often encountered but when it pops up, it is always on big, bold and bea...

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. Just like the one I offered last summer, this lariat was also made in Cuernavaca, one of Mexico's main silver-smithing ...

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...

An early Los Castillo design and very much in keeping with the 1940s' love for sweeping flourishes this set of earrings, carefully hand-cut, overlaid and oxidized will add just the right amount of festive spirit to your outfit. Bold and confident, the swirls seem to twist upon themselves in excitement and then reach high up for the skies with abandonment. Got to love the Los Castillo and the myriad ways in which they still make our day. The earrings measure 1 3/4" tall by 3/4" wide and weigh 12....

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...

The bearer of Zeus's thunderbolts Pegasus, the winged stallion of Greek mythology, is also associated with literary and artistic inspiration. One of my favorite images from that period, he is always depicted striding the air with pride and confidence, his strong, wings working hard to raise that formidable body high into the lofty realms of the divine. And though quite far from his birthplace, his form is often depicted in vintage Mexican silver jewelry and over the years, I have had several bea...

The epitome of minimalism - there is nowhere further in subtraction to go from here - this modernist sterling silver collar necklace bears the signature of the Los Ballesteros workshop and was made in Taxco, Mexico in the 1960s-70s. Shaped in order to wrap itself around the neck and rest lightly right below the Adam's apple, its width is at its maximum at center front and then tapers gently toward the two ends in the back of the neck. A smaller size (though it can be adjusted slightly to fit mor...

Very similar to one of Antonio Pineda's designs, this modernist sterling silver and amethyst bracelet is signed by a listed yet still unidentified early Taxco maestro. Formed by a series of truncated pyramidal links this is a substantial piece that holds its shape almost like a hinged bangle rather than a loosely articulated bracelet. The design's austere geometry is mediated by the rich color and soft curves of the amethyst cabs set in generously wide, raised bezels. Is there anything not to lo...

One of my favorite "less celebrated" maestros whose jewelry, however, has been experiencing a constant rise in appreciation among collectors, A. Tobias was a contemporary of Matilde Poulat's and I believe he was probably also working in Mexico City. His creations caught my attention several years ago for their characteristic "Mexico City style" repoussage and their beautiful craftsmanship. I have since come to find out that he also designed some amazing "mask" brooches and tried his hand at impr...

One of the oldest and definitely one of the very few original workshops that are still in operation in Taxco, the Los Ballesteros taller created some of the best "mask" jewelry in the story of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance. Whether incorporated in rings, brooches, pendants or bracelets, their minimalist carved portraits are always finely executed and the silver-work which houses them quite often touches the monumental. Based on the shape of the ancient Aztec calendar disk discovered in Mex...

Maestro Nestor is one of Taxco’s well-kept little secrets. He is not widely known - only the very dedicated vintage Mexican silver jewelry collectors are aware of his work - and his pieces can vary in style and inspiration. Yet when he is at his best, he can be truly spectacular. I believe the necklace at hand is expresses one of those creative moments. Lovingly hand-cut and deeply chased sterling silver surrounds a big faceted amethyst set in a substantial crown setting while the delicate fol...

Undoubtedly the result of artistic cross-pollination this vintage Mexican silver neck ring pendant necklace emits an intense Scandinavian vibe . Evocative of Danish modernist jewelry, it is not just the shapes that refer to it but also the choice of sodalite cabochons to accompany the warmly glowing silver. Slick, elegant, versatile - a combination which still speaks to our modern eye even though created almost a century ago. The neck ring has an inner circumference of 16” (including the 1 1/...

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...

"Mask" jewelry is not a rarity in the world of vintage Mexican silver yet the portrayals are almost always of ancient, Mesoamerican faces. And even though I am a very big fan of them as long as both the carving and the setting is interesting, I am thrilled to be presenting here a big brooch by A. Tobias housing the portrait of a more "contemporary" man. There is something in this "mask" that screams "Roman" to me and I know the typology might not even justify it but that was my initial reaction ...

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. I find myself in one of those instances in wh...

Bearing the signature of maestro Barrera this carefully made figural brooch depicts a richly clad person, most probably a nobleman or priest, with hands forming a very distinct gesture as if he takes part in a ritual or is performing a dance. Barrera , I suspect, worked in Mexico City, and created some impressive jewelry in the style associated with it. In the brooch at hand attention has been paid to every little detail that emphasizes the figure's high standing in society, their importance exp...