Catalog: Archives: Estate Jewelry (467)

Generously long, with a hefty chain and an unusual stylized floral design, this early Mexican Deco necklace combines silver and copper in a playful yet still bold way. The graduated tulip links bring to my mind classic representations of the flower in Ottoman art - the blooms are slender and tall as opposed to the hybrids we are used today which are shorter and rounder...

One of the few female designers of Mexico’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance that we know of, Erika Hult de Corral excelled in the creation of slick abstract and brutalist jewelry. She started creating her own work in Taxco’s “middle period” and continued being active in the post-1980 years as well. Big, bold and beautiful, the result of the artist’s few yet perfectly placed brushstrokes, the dove-shaped pendant at hand conveys that precious sense of elegant, unimpeded motion...

Last year I was lucky to find three examples of jewelry by Celia Harms, a talented designer who lived and worked in Vera Cruz in the 1950s and '60s. The Etruscan style sterling vermeil cross pin / pendant necklace I am presenting is the last of that trove and a very classy duo as well. I am very particular with vermeil - I don't really like it unless it is old and has mellowed almost to the point of ... extinction yet here it has an understated matte finish that exudes a calm warmth...

The name of Plateria Cortes, a Taxco retail store is often found on jewelry signed by Enrique Ledesma and this is the case with the modernist sterling silver and green stone necklace at hand. This type of curved trapezoid links embellished with inlay is a signature design for the maestro yet here there are two sections of stone in each station which is a welcome variation that does not come up as often as the typical single segment...

In the last couple of years I found myself drawn closer and closer to the jewelry created by the Los Ballesteros workshop. I am especially attracted to their “mask” pieces in all the forms they can be found as well as to what I like to call their “hinged bangle” bracelets. I consider both kinds the absolute jewel in the taller’s creative crown and it seems that there is always something new and different to discover...

In keeping with the love the 1960s and '70s had for huge, "ethnic" pendants this Los Ballesteros sterling silver sunburst stunner is inspired by ancient Aztec and Maya calendar disks and measures 3.5 in without the bail! Several silversmithing techniques were combined to create the pendant - cutwork, chasing, overlay, oxidation - and right at the center, a crown-set amethyst brings intense color to an otherwise silver and black background...

Eagle 22, one of the assay marks used by Fred Davis, is stamped on the bracelet at hand and its design combined with the fact that Davis was not at all meticulous at signing his pieces makes me believe that we might as well be dealing here with one of this creations. The carved amethyst "masks" are rendered in the most minimalist manner, a classic Abraham Paz / Fred Davis characteristic...

Dating around the middle of Matilde Poulat's career, this sterling repousse brooch exhibits the tell-tale texturing and beading that characterizes her silver-work and is adorned with bezel-set turquoise and red coral. Poulat's inspiration quite often originated in the natural environment with doves, owls, flowers, fish and, in our case, a sea horse featured in her jewelry. Evocative of the tranquility of deep sea waters, this little creature will put a smile on your face every day of the week...

A piece from the opening years of the Los Castillo taller this is a simply stunning bracelet! Despite the almost minimalist design, the cuff is breath-taking with its huge black onyx cab that centers its face and glistens whenever the light hits it. The sterling frame has thick twist-rope accents while big fleur-de-lis motifs flank the stone...

One of my favorite - and at the same time classic - Enrique Ledesma designs the bracelet at hand combines sterling silver and golden sheen obsidian in the maestro's characteristic, perfectly seamless way. Ledesma experimented with various stones creating the specific bracelet but I think this year is meant to be an "obsidian year" for me and I will say that I love this version...

Perfect for medium to smaller wrists, this modernist Erika Hult de Corral bracelet was made in Taxco in the 1960s-70s. One of the few female contributors to Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance that we know of, de Corral studied at the Parson's School of Design in Paris. An award-winning designer, she worked with Sigi Pineda and Enrique Ledesma before opening her own workshop...

Vintage silver and tiger's eye necklace by Erika Hult de Corral, the Taxco modernist designer with studies in Paris and apprenticeships in the workshops of both Ledesma and Sigi Pineda. I love Ric's jewelry for the fluidity of lines and her unique way of marrying sterling with hard stones. The necklace at hand has an inner circumference of 15 3/4" (clasped) with its width varying between 3/4" at center front and 1/8" at its narrowest, next to the clasp...

Early and quite hard to find, this Los Castillo silver repousse bracelet is comprised of lusciously sculpted, wide feather links. A dream to wear, I love it for the scrolled edges of each feather and the way the links alternate their orientation adding drama to the design. The bracelet measures a wearable 7" long and it is 1 1/2" wide. It weighs 52.9 grams and has a safety chain as well...

Good early Mexican Deco silver repousse jewelry is becoming harder to find - I don't know if it's because there weren't that many to begin with (quite often repoussage from that period seems a little clumsy, the technique needing additional experimenting with) or that at some point their popularity grew so much that they were "scooped up" from the market. Whatever the case, I am thrilled to be presenting this fantastic cuff bracelet with two saturated purple amethyst cabs here. I would call this...

Bangle bracelets, be they hinged or solid, are a big love of mine but I am doubly thrilled to be presenting here a set of three signed by the Los Castillo! How often does one see this form with this signature, truly? Not often enough is the answer and the rarity enhances the innate quality of the pieces. Thick silver, saturated azur-malachite and sprarkling peacock abalone combine here is a musical, playful trio you can wear as easily with jeans and a T-shirt as with that slick, black dinner dre...

Architectural in a dramatic yet also minimalist way, this Hans Hansen sterling silver ring does not come up very often. Set on a cylindrical post its tambour-shaped face holds a polished round black onyx disk within it. The transition from sterling to stone is seamless, the surfaces of the two materials "married" to each other in the most perfect way while the tambour's sides are reflected in the simple wide shank. Wearable art indeed! Currently a sz 6.5 US (can be easily re-sized) with its face...

The signatures of Chato Castillo and Ingrid's combine on this exquisite Mexican Deco silver fan pendant necklace - neither is a a common occurrence and both are synonymous with imaginative design and high quality. Chato is reported to have been the driving adventurous force behind most of the Los Castillo innovations - the revival of ancient techniques, the experimentation with materials - while Ingrid's still remains among the elusive early Taxco retailers. Monumental in its proportions, the pe...

When it comes to impressive pendant necklaces with a distinct "ethnic" twist, the Los Ballesteros signature is what one has to look for within the field of vintage Mexican silver. Their designs are amazing not just for their proportions but also for their quality of materials and impeccable craftsmanship. This sunburst example with color-change sapphire (synthetic corundum) hanging off the hand-made sterling chain of the same vintage I have had several times in the past but I never tire of it. T...