Catalog: Archives: Estate Jewelry (469)

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...

Rare Mexican Deco silver repousse figural necklace, its five graduated links featuring what I believe to be a neo-Aztec interpretation of Cinteotl, one of the three goddesses of corn and fertility. Bare-breasted and kneeling in a corn field, holding in her hands an ear of maize and adorned with earrings and a pendant necklace, it is in fact two different figures that we are looking at; while the bodies and what surrounds them is the same, the jewelry and the faces themselves are different...

Classic Fred Davis Mexican Deco silver and turquoise bracelet in a design that is considered an iconic creation for the renowned designer, especially in this combination of materials. A row of repousse florets with stone hearts comfortably hugs the wrist and conforms to its movements freely. The turquoise cabs have developed an interesting variation of hues over the years which, in combination for the warmly glowing patina, adds character and a certain "life experience" to the bracelet...

One of the pieces that were made around WWII, I believe, this Mexican silver and carved dyed calcite brooch is such a find! Shaped like a US Army officer's visor cap, complete with the appropriate insignia, it recounts part of the relationship the two countries had during those difficult times albeit in its jewelry version...

Swallows hold within their slender, elegant little bodies tender memories of my childhood in Greece - they are considered the most important harbingers of spring and symbolize regeneration, hope and the assurance that sun-filled days will always follow the darkest hours of winter. For the Victorians, they represented faithfulness and the promise of a loved-one's return and as a motif, they were widely used in sentimental jewelry...

The last example of a small Los Castillo "onix negro" jewelry collection I acquired a little time ago, this mod bracelet is perfect for the medium to smaller wrist. Its thick links remind me of mahjong tiles and I am captivated by their minimalist geometry. Easy to wear yet definitely a bracelet whose weight feels warm and familiar when you have it on - the perfect accessory to add that little bit of style to make it special. Measuring 6 3/8" long (wearable) by 1/2" wide it weighs 50.0 grams...

Gerardo Lopez is one of my favorite Taxco maestros. I believe his talent and workmanship to have been of the same caliber as that of his more famous contemporaries and I am always on the look out for his jewelry. Based on his work, I believe that he must have worked for at least the Los Castillo and/or Margot de Taxco and his prowess in the art of repoussage supports the hypothesis...

Based on an ancient glyph, or at least inspired by one, this vintage Los Castillo Mexican silver and azur-malachite inlay necklace is out of the workshop's "mozaico Azteca" line of jewelry. Centuries old, the technique became almost obsolete during the Colonial period but was revived by Chato Castillo, one of Taxco's most talented, innovative and original maestros...

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...

Dated for 1972 and signed by Kultaseppa Salovaara Ky of Finland, this sterling silver and rose quartz hinged bangle bracelet epitomizes the less-is-more attitude of Scandinavian design. There is nothing superfluous here - everything serves a purpose and at the same time contributes to the bracelet's serene, confident beauty. Yet I think that the strongest element is the crystalline, soft pink of the rose quartz spheres...

Dating around 1930, this Mexican Deco Fred Davis necklace in a design that rarely comes up, is an early example of "mixed metals" jewelry. Combining repousse silver with copper wire and then bringing in ripe, saturated color with the amethyst cabs, the necklace is an ode to vineyards and aromatic red wine. Though the brooch of the parure appears in the third edition of Morrill's "Mexican Silver" (p. 28), the necklace is hard to find and I am thrilled to be presenting it here...

Gorgeous silver hinged bangle bracelet signed by Topazio of Portugal featuring a repousse "harvest" motif with bunches of mature wheat in rectangular frames. Topazio bracelets are the best of the genre - their designs are crisp and register easily to the eye; the finishing is impeccable and their decorative motifs a joy to behold...

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)...

Dashing early modernist Mexican silver and amethyst earrings with the signature of the Los Ballesteros workshop, this set is a variation on the "clamshell" type of jewelry that was so popular with modernist Taxco maestros in the mid- to later 1940s...

Early and gorgeous Matilde Poulat sterling silver and coral bracelet in one of her iconic designs, the "paloma". This is classic Matl with the bird rendered in textured repoussage, its wings open, ready to fly away. The dove is surrounded by coral cabochons both bezel- and channel-set while small pieces of branch coral adorn the links of the chain. I find the relative "minimalism" (speaking for Matl, of course) in the use of one stone only quite refreshing and soothing to the eye as opposed to t...

An early Taxco maestro, Manuel Altamirano worked for both Aguilar and Valentin Vidaurreta. With the former, he shares what has come to be known as the "armadillo" parure, out of which you can see here the quite impressive belt buckle. Evocative of the “armor plates” covering the body of the namesake creatures, the buckle's links are graduated in size and adorned with short, flat-topped round appliques. Big and bold, it can be worn easily by either men and women and would look equally stunnin...

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...

One of Taxco's early maestros, Jose Luis Flores worked for Aguilar as well as for Emma and Miguel Melendez. Carefully crafted and meticulously finished, his jewelry is often based on creations by his more renowned colleagues yet he can be quite creative and original himself. In my opinion, he is at his best within the realm of modernist design and I believe that the bracelet presented here attests to that. Clever cut-outs, beading and layering combine to shape minimalist "masks" that are then "m...