Catalog: Archives: Estate Jewelry (469)

Trained as a sculptor Felipe Martinez, the founder of Piedra y Plata, is one of the best lapidaries in the world of vintage Mexican silver jewelry. There is a liquid perfection that characterizes the way he fuses stone and precious metal together and the serenity on his carved “masks” seems to be flowing in from a different dimension...

Generous in size and studded with channel and bezel set stones, this is a glorious Matilde Poulat cross whether you wear it as an expression of your spirituality or as a work of art. Matl's signature wirework and beading combined with the patina the pendant has developed over time make for a strong, eye-catching presence. The hand-wrought chain that it comes with is Mexican as well and of the same period (yet not a Matl piece) and I believe it complements it in the best possible way...

A trained sculptor, Felipe Martinez created some of the most amazing “mask” jewelry in the golden period of Mexico’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance. His ability to work with precious metal and stone is astounding, the two materials becoming like one whole in his inlaid designs while in his “mask” creations turning into living, breathing figures in a deeply serene sleep...

The second Erika Hult de Corral bracelet currently in my inventory (please look for item no 1189406 as well), this piece is absolutely fabulous. Quite substantial yet still comfortable to wear, its mod sterling links are studded with green, mossy agates. The bracelet feels divine around the wrist and as rare as Ric bracelets are, the specific design is even more difficult to come upon. With an inner circumference of 6 5/8" (clasped), it is perfect for smaller to medium wrists...

Valentin Vidaurreta is one of the “giants” in Mexico’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance. And even though to most his name does not resonate in the way Spratling’s or Aguilar’s or Antonio’s does, his incredible talent and sublime craftsmanship is behind many of the designs we know, admire and covet as creations of those “big names”. The hummingbird brooch at hand is just one of those examples...

One of the legendary designs in the index of vintage Mexican silver jewelry, the "armadillo" can be found with both Hector Aguilar's signature and that of Manuel Altamirano's. It has been emulated by other maestros as well, less-celebrated and anonymous, yet the most important names associated with it are definitely the first two even though it was Valentin Vidauretta who created it...

Unadulterated commitment to minimalism - this is the statement this Antonio Pineda modernist bracelet makes. I have sold this specific design a couple of times in the past but its unpretentious beauty never fails to impress me. Wrought in the maestro's favorite .970 alloy, it has had a long, happy life and is now waiting for its next caretaker. It has a 6 3/4" inner circumference (clasped) with a width just shy of 1" wide and weighs a good 110.4 grams...

Based on the dramatic contrast of highly polished silver against dark, oxidized backgrounds, Sigi's jewelry is eye-catching without having to be burdensomely elaborate. The necklace at hand illustrates, I believe, my assertion in the best possible way. Gorgeous, a pleasure to wear and to behold, and a true Tasco (sic) modernist treasure...

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)...

Early, heavy, wrought in fine purity .980 silver the stupendous chain in this pendant necklace is obviously based on Hector Aguilar's "v" link design. Bearing simply a raised mark for Taxco and the metal content hallmark, it is without any doubt comparable to the renowned maestro's original both in heft as well as in level of craftsmanship and quality of materials used. Its deep and careful hand-chased details reflect the warmly ornamentation on the locket pendant I have paired it with...

Unusually romantic for Antonio Pineda, this is one of his sweetest designs that can easily be worn by a young lady which is not always the case with his jewelry...

One of the rarest, in my experience, bracelets by Margot de Taxco out of her, influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, hand-hammered and oxidized line of jewelry, the Quetzalcoatl mirrored on this clamper's opposing wings is fierce and awe-inspiring. Monumental in its presence, the bracelet is an ode to Mexico's rich cultural history and definitely not a piece for the ... faint-of-heart. I am thrilled I was lucky enough to find it and am more than proud to be presenting it here...

Another one of my Taller Taxco treasures, this necklace, obviously based on Salvador Teran's design, came to me with a matching bracelet (by yet a different maker) which I will be presenting in the next few days...

A stunner of a brooch, this Antonio Pineda sterling silver and amethyst floral cluster hails the maestro's finding himself as a modernist. Antonio's early pieces betray the strong influence Valentin Vidauretta exerted on his work, so much so that one acquainted with Pineda's classic design period would find it difficult to recognize them as Antonio creations. Yet here, the artist has already found his "hand". Minimalism yet full of exuberant life, sculpturality that makes you want to hold the br...

As rare-as-can-be not just for its signature but also for the black opal baguettes it showcases, this vintage Mexican silver architectural ring was created by Carmen Beckmann. Beckmann is reported in the literature to have worked primarily in the 1950s and 1960s in San Miguel de Allende and her jewelry can vary from inspired to simply good. When she was at her most creative though, she made pieces that are to die for! This ring is, in my opinion, one of those moments of hers. It's as if its star...

Sterling overlay and three-dimensional stone frogs turn this Carmen Beckmann necklace into a small sculpture gallery around the neck! One of the few known to us female contributors to Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance albeit active a little later than the beginnings of the big Mexico City and Taxco workshops, she was based in San Miguel de Allende in the 1950s and 1960s and that is where she created most of her jewelry. Quite often borrowing motifs from Spratling's earlier pieces, Beckmann's j...

One of Salvador Teran’s signature designs, the Archer makes for a dramatic, show-stopping bracelet. Mod minimalism, shadowbox construction and beautifully aged heavy gauge silver combine in the example at hand. Having a 6 1/2″ inner circumference (clasped; perfect for smaller to medium wrists) the bracelet varies in width between 1 1/2″ and 5/16″ and weighs 39.8 grams. It is signed with maker’s signature in script as shown as well as “STERLING MEXICO” and des. no 157...

One of the most inspired Taxco modernists, Enrique Ledesma is not widely known as an enamelist yet he did create jewelry combining sterling with bright colored enamels. It seems that those pieces are rare and difficult to find but if one is lucky enough to come upon an example, the search is justified and the seeker duly rewarded! The necklace at hand, distinctly "machine age" in its constituting elements, breaks free of its functionalist constraints with the use of brilliant blue enamel. The co...