Catalog: Archives: Estate Jewelry (467)

It's almost the middle of August but this vintage Antonio Pineda brooch makes me think of leaves twirling in the wind filling the world with the fiery golds and reds of Fall. It is characteristic of the design genius inherent in some maestros that they can take a simple, familiar form and put such a twist to it (in our case literally), the form turns into a little work of art. This is a very sculptural brooch, the sense of motion it holds within it strong, its patina to die for...

Sometimes things just fall into your lap unexpectedly and this is what happened with the two Antonio Pineda brooches I am listing today. First up a fun (albeit ... smelly in real life, if you are not careful) figural brooch glorifying our beloved skunk! At least, I think it's a skunk and I wish I had a more noble name for the creature. Such an unusual, tongue-in-cheek design for Antonio who is seriously modernist and quite heavy at times...

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...

Slick, less-is-more design and a beautifully carved amethyst "mask" make this vintage 1950s Mexican sterling silver ring easy to wear and a real treat for the eye! There is something masculine about the simplicity of the ring itself that is, however, tempered by the delicately soft, slender features of the stone "face". The amethyst is here semi-translucent and the absence of intense inclusions allows the light to penetrate it and make it look like purple Italian ice...

There are buckle bracelets and then, there are BUCKLE BRACELETS! And a spectacular Mexican Deco specimen of the latter I am proud to be presenting here. Honestly, however, all the aaahs and ooohs aside, this is one of the most glamorous mesh jewelry I have encountered even though its design elements are few and quite simple, if one thinks about it. Extra wide and finely woven, the sterling mesh is flexible and comfortably wraps around the wrist...

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...

Massive Los Ballesteros Mexican silver pendant, layered, adorned with beading and oxidation, in a convex shape that pushes the huge citrine centering it out at you - this is one of the most impressive pendants of theirs I have seen. For me it betrays a distinct Spanish Colonial influence as it based on the ornate order medals royals around the world like to bestow on select individuals to show favor and appreciation...

It is not easy to stumble upon a vintage Los Ballesteros carved "mask" ring but when one does find an example, what a feast it is! There is nothing "timid" about this piece. The philosophy here is big, bold and beautiful and I believe that the Los Ballesteros workshop accomplished all this monumentality in the most amazing, masterful, and eye-pleasing way. The "mask" is here carved out of a dark green agate, I believe, with grayish white specs in it...

Biomorphic sterling silver appliques on a highly oxidized "puffy" background take center-stage in this modernist Mexican set of Salvador Teran earrings. I grew up close to the sea so to my eyes, it's little crabs catching a bit of sun on mossy beach pebbles that are pictured here but your mind's eye might see something entirely different. Precious like all Salvador jewelry, beautifully made, not entirely identical as is the case with hand-wrought pieces of wearable art...

Question marks, whether straight or inverted, seem to have provided a fun, tongue-in-cheeck motif when Taxco maestros were designing earrings. I have seen them hanging off repousse semi-spheres, studded with turquoise cabs and even having cascabeles themselves. Yet this big, bold and beautiful set goes above and beyond its peers. Sculptural repoussage, tiny beading accents and oxidation combine here with gorgeous bezel-set amethyst cabs in a curvaceous, sexy pair of Mexican Deco earrings...

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...

In my opinion one of the most talented Taxco maestros, Felipe Martinez worked with Hubert Harmon for a brief period in the 1940s (see Hougart, Little Book of Mexican silver, p. 105) and created some of the most amazing jewelry in Taxco's heyday. And even though I am always impressed by the quality of the silver-work, it is mostly the lapidary work that elevates his "Piedra y Plata" creations to the level of sublime perfection...

This is only the second time I have ever had this incredible carved "mask" and sterling silver Mexican Deco pin / pendant and I am thrilled to have come upon another example after years of looking for it! One of the most enchanting "masks" from this period I have seen in terms of the lapidary skill it demonstrates, I call it euphemistically a "Medusa head" even though its theme is a little more gruesome than the severed head of a gorgon from ancient Greek mythology...

A brooch that unabashedly lures the eye and invites the touch this sterling silver and golden sheen obsidian treasure bears the signature of Erika Hult de Corral, one of the few female designers of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance that we know of and definitely the only modernist. de Corral's work can be truly inspired - and she has a way with silver and stones that makes the materials simply flow into each other effortlessly, as if they were always meant to be together. Just look at how the ...

One of the best Taxco modernists Enrique Ledesma was successful not only as a jewelry designer but also as a mosaicist and a lapidary. Two of his favorite materials, sterling silver and stone, are combined here in a classic for the maestro design. Minimalist, quite geometric with clean, easy to follow lines, the necklace's only luxury seems to be the saturated, rich green of the chrysocolla (I think!) trapezoids. Easy to wear and quite comfortable as it has the ability to conform to the necklin...

Fine, .970 silver and black onyx crescents surround the wrist in this book-piece Antonio Pineda Mexican modernist bracelet. One of the renowned maestro's most popular creations, I have to admit that I love the bracelet much more than the cascading necklace of the same design. There is something fierce and assertive about the crescent-shaped links that remind me of talons. Yet there is also a tenderness in the way they wrap themselves around the wrist - just like an eagle mother protecting her ne...

I love these Mexican Deco "berries-on-a-branch" brooches! They are big and impressive and the berries come in different colors depending on the kind of agate used. I am always on the look-out for the best examples, the ones in which the silver branches are hefty and interestingly entwined and the berries made of good quality stone, rich in striations and color-variation. Admittedly a piece that requires a winter garment - it would be too heavy for a delicate silk blouse - yet one that would also...

Generously long and definitely mod, this Erika Hult de Corral necklace is a minimalist little treasure! Not only does it wear like a dream - for me it is the epitome of "less-is-more", except for the luscious greens that make the polished stone centering it a treat for the eye. This is a pre-1980 example of her work and quite versatile since you can easily wear it with that classy black dress or have it casually adorn your favorite worn T-shirt. The necklace measures 21 1/2" long and its width v...