Catalog: Archives: Estate Jewelry (467)

If there is an Amazon in your life, this is the perfect bracelet for her this upcoming holiday season! Unabashedly monumental, this is one of the most astounding early Mexican Deco pieces I have seen and it takes more than my 5' 4" to wear it! Incredible at 3 3/8" tall, this is an arm band more than a bracelet and a piece of wearable art at that...

Big, impressive and very nicely cast sterling silver bracelet bearing the signature of the Peruzzi Bros' Boston line. One of the oldest Italian jeweler families still in production, Fll Peruzzi are renowned for their Renaissance Revival designs and their beautiful castings. The bracelet at hand is made up of rectangular panels featuring Greek warriors and ladies in garden settings with the ever-present putti in the mix...

Classic early Deco Mexican silver repousse bracelet, its two hinged parts consisting of several rows of repousse semi-spheres dotted with bezel-set amethyst cabochons. This is an iconic design and it comes in several widths - the rarity in the example presented here is that in addition to the small stones, there is a series of three big amethysts applied on the vertical that dissects the front "wing" in two...

Often referred to as the "Spratling of Peru" Italian-born Graziella Laffi is the most renowned Peruvian jewelry designer. Drawing inspiration from the country's rich archaeological past she created bracelets, cuffs and necklaces in the 1950s that are avidly collected today and fervently sought after. The necklace presented here is a Laffi classic - hand wrought stylized birds and fish with turquoise eyes hang off a chain consisting of tubular links...

A fine example of Los Castillo craftsmanship and a design avidly sought-after by Mexican silver jewelry collectors this choker necklace combines the heftiness of a thickly braided chain with the curves of carefully crafted repousse semi-shperes. Elegant yet substantial, it bespeaks the maestros' incredible talent and design savvy. Excellent condition with no problems noted and a secure tongue-and-box clasp, it is signed "LOS CASTILLO" and "Sterling" and bears the Eagle 5 assay mark...

Truly dramatic Margot de Taxco silver earrings with pronounced repousse work and fantastic oxidation that accentuates their three-dimensional quality. Inspired by Mexico's rich folk culture their design's earthiness is further brought out by the warm patina they developed over time. The earrings are 1 3/8" long by 1 1/16" wide and weigh 13.6 grams (for the set)...

Slick, minimalist and yet so eye-catching, a pair of Margot de Taxco silver and enamel earrings with distinctive trapezoidal dangles. Just note the way the silver polka dots jump out of the white enamel background! The earrings measure 1 3/8" long by just over 1" wide (at their widest) and weigh 18.4 grams (for the set). Fully hallmarked as shown with Margot's name as well as Eagle 16 and des. no 5586 and in excellent vintage condition.

Heavy and rather rare Los Castillo sterling bracelet in a distinctly machine age style featuring three rows of thick, interlocking silver rings that create a very substantial mesh...

A truly monumental sterling silver bracelet from Peru, this pieces features intricate cut-outs, dramatic oxidation and figural appliques at the center of each link. The workmanship here is beautiful and the figures are crisp in detail standing out against their textured background. Extra wide at just above 2" the bracelet has an inner circumference of 7 1/8" (clasped) and it weighs 76.9 grams. It is simply marked "PERU 925", dates in the 1950s-60s and is in excellent vintage condition.

Out of Mexico's "archaeological" design trend, an early Deco bracelet that combines beautifully aged silver with deeply colored amethyst cabochons. The overlaid motif, meticulously hand-cut, chased and etched, has been perfectly applied on the curved link and represents a scene of Mexico's pre-Colombian rituals. The bracelet measures 7 1/8" long (wearable) by 1 5/8" wide and weighs 58.2 grams. It dates in the 1930s-40s period and is simply marked "SILVER MEXICO"...

There is almost no information about maestro M. Velazquez other than his hallmarks which put him right at the opening decades of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance. Yet I have watched his jewelry rise in popularity over the last few years not only because of its inherent quality but also because they offers an excellent alternative to Matilde Poulat's pieces as they become scarcer and almost prohibitively expensive for most of us...

Beautifully carved, with deep details in the figures flowing robes, their faces and hairdos, I am assuming that this demi-parure consisting of a bracelet, brooch and earrings was initially intended as a wedding gift to a happy bride? Set in what looks like brass, the six female figures that adorn the bracelet links are, I believe, along with the figures on the earrings depictions of He Xiangu, the only female among the Eight Immortals...

Exceptional early Deco Taxco silver bracelet, its two parts formed by rows of repousse semi-spheres accented with green turquoise cabochons. This is one of my favorite forms in an exuberant design that never fails to attract attention. Bracelets like this come in a variety of widths – this one is, I believe, the widest you can get with eight rows of beads that, in the front panel, are enhanced by overlaid rows of stone and smaller beads...

Matching the necklace of the same design that is also available at One Good Eye Silver, a divinely feminine, classic Margot de Taxco bracelet combining copper and silver. The specific combination is rather rare and it adds a certain warmth to the bracelet that reflects the fantastic patina both copper and silver have acquired over time. The bracelet is a wearable 7 3/8" long by 3/4" wide and weighs 32.3 grams. It is fully and appropriately signed with Margot de Taxco's name, des...

A mystery maker for me - though listed by Bille Hougart in his book on Mexican silver hallmarks (see p. 249) - it is Taller Taxco that signs this modernist pendant necklace, obviously based on a rather rare to find Salvador Teran design. Large and imposing, masterfully crafted, the pendant is shaped like a squatting pre-Colombian figure with his hands closed around a big, tumbled blue stone with green undertones and some matrix showing on the side (maybe blue chrysoprase?)...

Plateria FarFan created some of the most impressive and well-made collar necklaces - many in the multiple row "mesh" style and others in Cleopatra "puzzle" designs. The necklace here is one of the latter and a pretty handsome one at that! Comfortable to wear, it lies divinely around the neck and looks regal. It measures 15 1/4" long (wearable, measuring the inner, shorter length) by 1" wide and weighs a generous 92 grams...

Part of Margot de Taxco's astrology series, an adorable sterling silver pin for the daring Virgo - gorgeous casting, fantastic patina and a fluid nudity turn this little piece into a small work of art. I could not exaggerate its three-dimensional quality even if I wanted to. Its beguiling curves and the uninterrupted sense of movement in the maiden's body and hair is phenomenal. The brooch measures 1 3/4" tall by 1 1/8" wide and weighs 5.5 grams. It is signed with Margot's circular signature, ...

A mystery maker - nothing is known about him/her despite the fact that the specific signature is referred to in the literature - the creator of this hinged, mutli-row bead and turquoise bracelet did a amazing job indeed! Repousse beaded bracelets of this type come in various widths and silver/stone combinations. I have seen them with amethyst, black onyx and obsidian and love the turquoise variation. What is rarer and more difficult to find - hence more sought after - is the extra wide exampl...