Catalog: Archives: Estate Jewelry (467)

Set in a raised bezel on a hand-hammered sterling platform the “mask” in this vintage Carmen Beckmann brooch is carved out of dyed calcite, often - and mistakenly - referred to as “jade”. Oxidation and a geometric glyph applique add complexity to the design and the portrait’s minimalist rendition brings to mind the more austere of ancient artifacts unearthed from the Mexican soil...

A fabulous example of late Deco Portuguese jewelry this hinged "bangle" is signed by Topazio, the country's foremost manufacturer of silver hollowware and jewelry. Wrought in .833 silver, its two "wings" are made up of curved panels with alternating scrolled niello and figural decoration. This specific design is known as "monuments of Portugal", the Belem Tower and the National Pantheon being among the country's architectural treasures portrayed here...

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...

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...

One of my favorite and, in my opinion, most accomplished early Mexico City repousse maestros, Abraham Tobias, signs this bold Deco silver cuff bracelet. Tobias was a contemporary of Matilde Poulat's and quite often his jewelry are based on her designs. He excelled in the so-called Mexico City repousse style and here he is contributing to the tradition of the sought-after "Aztec Rose" cuffs...

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...

Just shy of 2" long, I give you the third and last and definitely quirkiest set of Sigi Pineda silver earrings I have been talking about. I happened to come upon the first of these in early summer, fell in love with its cartoonish strangeness - I had never seen this line of Sigi's before. And since all good things come in threes, I found two more pairs in the months following that initial discovery...

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 pair of leaves made out of sterling silver and inlaid with azur-malachite this set of Salvador Teran earrings remains true to the absolute minimalism that characterizes his jewelry. It never ceases to amaze me how, with just a few pencil strokes, talented designers can impart the freshness of a green leaf, the way it curls to collect the rain, the texture of its serrated edge...

A design that doesn’t come up very often, these figural Mexican Deco silver earrings by Los Castillo remind me of Old World “wind” representations. I love the sense of powerful forward motion they convey with the curling repousse silverwork and the feather-like trail that the “winds” leave behind them as they sweep through the skies. I wonder what the rest of the parure looks like...

Dramatic Antonio Pineda modernist silver ring wrought in his signature .970 alloy this piece is all about powerful, unencumbered movement! I am wearing it as I write and even though I can see it and I can touch it, I still I find it quite amazing that such a "simple" design, such an non-embellished execution can muster the strength of a tidal wave, cast in it fine silver and restrain it on the finger...

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”...

Popular for centuries in jewelry-making traditions all over the world the buckle motif can be found in all forms and metals, with or without gems, quite elaborate or strikingly minimalist. This 1940s Hector Aguilar version is wrought in sterling and even though its ornamentation is kept at a bare minimum, its rendition is sculptural, an attribute that is enhanced by oxidation and the patina of time...

Classy Mexican Deco silver and amethyst brooch signed by Fred Davis, there is something about the sculpturality of this piece that makes me think it might be a Valentin Vidaurreta design. It is not just the specific shape the amethyst flowers have been carved in that can be seen in signed Vidaurreta jewelry, it is mostly the bewitching rotundness of the silver bud that makes me think so...

It is not often that one finds an Enrique Ledesma ring and this modernist beauty is made even more desirable by the big color-change sapphire that adorns it...

The quintessential Art Deco designer, Abraham Paz is one of the earliest maestros of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance. He worked in Mexico City and many of the designs we associate with Fred Davis are actually Paz's creations. His minimalist "masks", shield-form links and tiered ring settings epitomize the elegant geometry the 1920s and 1930s are known for while also foreshadowing the less-is-more attitude of modernism. Pinky-size yet easily resizable, the ring I am presenting here is adorned...

For the lovers of vintage Mexican silver jewelry who are also lovers of equines, a gorgeous set of Margot de Taxco sterling repousse cufflinks in the shape of a horse head. I find the animal's portrait majestic - the way it holds its head allows its strength and beauty to come out in the best possible way. Each cufflink is 1 1/8" tall by 7/8" wide and the set weighs 10.8 grams. It is fully signed with Margot's name as well as with a badly stamped Eagle mark and des. no 5160. Dating in the 1950s...

Perfect for the medium to smaller wrist, this vintage modernist Enrique Ledesma hinged bracelet features a big, asymmetrical medallion with green stone inlay in the "mozaico Azteca" tradition of the Los Castillo. The transition from stone to metal is seamless and if one looks closely (in the photos it is more evident thanks to the macro lens), one can see evidence of the maestro's polishing wheel that brought the two surfaces together in a perfectly smooth union. The bracelet has a 6" inner circ...