Catalog: Archives: Estate Jewelry (467)

Born in Oaxaca but living and working in the American Southwest Federico Jimenez creates jewelry in silver combining his Mexican heritage with Native American influences. I would suggest that the monumental arm band bracelet presented here is as much a piece of jewelry as an artifact in and of itself...

An absolutely stunning table-cut citrine adorns this massive Carmen Beckmann Mexican silver ring. The gem, its color traveling from refreshing lemon to saturated yellow as the light changes, is lifted above the finger in a terraced setting with geometric cut-outs...

In the style of Matilde Poulat's jeweled hand-mirrors a vintage 1980s piece from Taxco having an ornate frame replete with wirework, beading and topped by two repousse Doves - Matl's favorite "Palomas". The mirror is encrusted with turquoise and coral cabs as well as pyramid-cut amethysts and it has an elongated, teardrop repousse handle. it is 5 1/8" tall by 2 3/8" wide and weighs 40.9 grams...

Having justly earned a place in the pantheon of those artists whose work changed the way we design and think about silver jewelry, Matilde Poulat created a whole school of silversmiths who emulated her work not only when she was alive and active but even today, in the so called "post-1980" period of Mexican jewelry making. Based on Matl's signature Palomas motif, this is a big, impressive, nicely made bracelet. Coral, amethyst and tiny turquoise beads stud the repousse and wire work ornam...

The daughter of celebrated Taxco silversmith and designer Antonio Castillo, Mimi learned the art of jewelry design and production from the best and the most talented...

I don’t usually venture into the 1980s with vintage Mexican silver jewelry but Erika Hult de Corral is one of the few instances in which the general rule is broken. A Paris-educated, talented modernist with a distinct brutalist strain in her designs, Ric (as she signs her pieces) worked with Sigi Pineda and Enrique Ledesma before she opened her own workshop...

Stunning Matl-Salas sterling silver Palomas combination pin/pendant with meticulously worked repoussage and coral, amethyst and turquoise jewels. One of the most impressive pieces I have seen, its quality makes me think that it's an early 1980s example and its size just has me dazzled. I have paired it with an earlier, handwrought Mexican chain with elaborate links and appropriate length for such a stupendous pendant - the result is, to my eyes at least - beyond words.....

Modernist sterling ring by Erika Hult de Corral (Ric), this rather rare to find design combines silver in two finishes with richly colored malachite and two small, deep blue lapis cabochons. I am very excited to have found this piece, especially since I recently sold the matching earrings to it (you can use the search feature to see them, if you wish). A talented designer and one of the few known female contributors to Mexico’s 20th c...

I would never have thought that the necklace presented here was not made in the 1930s or 1940s - design, construction, even the way it is hallmarked point in that direction. Yet it is later as indicated by the maker's registration code - I think it must have been made around 1980. Heavy clusters of bead and tube dangles adorn the central part of the necklace creating an impressive sense of abundance and luxury...

One of my favorite designs of the so-called "archaeological" genre, I have seen similar pieces bearing Victoria's signature but this one is made by an artist who signs his name with initials "AE" in a heart-shaped "M". Though we don't know much about the specific maker, we do know that his work was appreciated enough by his colleagues that his signature can be found on jewelry by Rancho Alegre and Estela Popowski...

Imposing presence and a beautiful green stone that I believe is agate combine in this vintage Mexican silver ring by the Los Ballesteros workshop. A mid-century piece in terms of its age, the ring does, however, retain the architecturality that Deco jewelry is known and sought after for...

One of the few females of Taxco - at least, one of the few whose name we actually know - Erika Hult de Corral 's creations can be impressive, exhibiting genuine creativity and a certain sense of comfort within the realm of modernist design. I particularly like her "moonscape" pieces, partly because I first learned about her years ago when I happened upon such a necklace and earrings set by her...

Not very easy to find the specific design of modernist Taxco sterling silver and gemstone earrings by Enrique Ledesma features two generously-sized, color-change sapphires. Mimicking the behavior of alexandrites which change color under different light conditions, the gems are often referred to as “synthetic alexandrites” within the context of vintage Mexican silver jewelry. Yet they are in fact synthetic corundum and at best, they should be identified as “alexandrite simulants”...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...