Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Silver (316)

Designed by Karin Pedersen for JemAx of Denmark, this sterling silver vermeil and white enamel brooch is such a great example of Scandinavian minimalist / modernist design from the 1960s and 1970s. I love the pearlescence of the white here and the way its translucence brings out the guilloche motifs in the silver underneath. White is a gorgeous color in Scandinavian enamelwork and it pairs perfectly with darker, more subdued hue time and loving use has bestowed to the vermeil finish...

Impressive in size this vintage Janna Thomas Mexican silver pendant is an example of the "pluma Azteca" technique which incorporates vividly colored bird feathers in sterling jewelry. Very reminiscent of plique-a-jour work, "pluma Azteca" was introduced by the Los Castillo workshop and it is a demanding, difficult process so it was emulated by just a handful of other Taxco maestros. Thomas excelled in it, however, and her pieces are sought after by knowledgeable collectors...

Owned and operated by the Scarpelli family in Florence, Italy, "Le Pietre nell' Arte" gallery specializes in the art of "pietra dura" jewelry and larger works of art. Accompanied by its original box, the combination pin / pendant at hand, its vermeil finish still glistening as if it came out of the shop just yesterday, is a small treasure made by one of the family's maestros...

An exquisite example of Italian Renaissance Revival jewelry that were so popular with tourists on their Grand Tour at the turn and first few decades of the 20th c. this long pendant necklace is the epitome of “figural”. Not only is its chain interspersed with links representing iconic Italian monuments and coats of arms, its large pendant is a work of art too. I will suggest that the central figure is maybe inspired by Verrocchio’s “Child and Dolphin”...

Stunning vintage Italian silver charm bracelet wrought in the Etruscan style and adorned with four beautiful fob charms set with semi-precious and glass cabs. I love these pieces for their "shock and awe" approach to accesorizing that goes hand in hand with the boldness and seductiveness of Europe's southern-most coasts...

Dating in the first decades of the 20th c. this Italian Renaissance Revival necklace is wrought in .800 silver and adorned with flat-cut and cabochon sodalite. In the same style as “Grand Tour” jewelry popularized by the Peruzzi and Coppini houses in Florence, this piece features grape clusters and leaves while also showcasing shell, floral garland and rosette links in its ornate chain...

Known for their high quality of holloware primarily, Ingrid's remains even today one of those elusive actors in the story of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance. Active in the 1930s and 1940s, as Bille Hougart reports, this retailer seems to have been the venue through which well-known maestros like Chato Castillo sold some of their creations...

One of the best "manufacturers" of silver jewelry and holloware in Peru Industria Peruana created some amazing "Inca Revival" (if I am permitted the term) pieces around the middle of the 20th c. when Graziella Laffi was also active. Their designs are beautifully executed with crisp detail and careful finishing and very often it is Peru's rich history that provided the motifs...

Hand-hammered silver links shaped like concave elongated pyramids overlaid with 18k figural gold appliques make up this impressive 1950s Peruvian bracelet by Industria Peruana. Crafted in silver first and then covered in 18k gold sheet the appliques are inspired by ancient Inca motifs and show birds, temples and gods...

Admittedly my favorite Mexican modernist, Salvador Teran seems to have never had a "bad" moment during his career. There is not one piece of his that I have come upon which I have not loved for its quirky abstraction, its sometimes tongue-in-cheek genius, its magical way of playing with layers, abstraction and oxidation. The mod pendant presented here provides a good illustration, I believe, of the point I am trying to make...

Signed by a listed “middle period” Taxco maestro primarily known for his repousse work, this 1950s carved azur-malachite and sterling “mask” pendant necklace is as stunning as it is unexpected. Dark blues, deep greens and earthy browns add depth and gravity to the stone, making the ancient figure’s features as stern in sleep as they must have been in that life lived centuries ago...

Breath-taking both in proportions and its masterfully executed repoussage this sterling silver Mexican Deco belt buckle is simply unbelievable. Its two mirrored parts represent Quetzalcoatl, the divine Moesoamerican Feathered Serpent, a motif which appears quite often in vintage Mexican silver jewelry...

How big does a piece of jewelry have to be before it qualifies to be called monumental? I think at 4.25'“ tall, this Mexican Deco butterfly brooch definitely fits the bill. Fauna- and flora-themed pieces are not rare within the world of vintage Mexican silver jewelry yet examples of astounding proportions like our brooch come far and in between. The semi-translucence of the stone is here enhanced by the variegated color which progresses from lucid white to sage green...

I know and admire maestro C. Molina's work for its superb craftsmanship and its monumentality but I was still not prepared for this set of stupedying dangle earrings! There is big, there is massive and then, there is the pair of shadowbox stunners I am presenting here tonight. Maestro Molina excelled in the application of the shadowbox technique which allowed him to create jewelry which are generous in proportions and convey a dramatic sense of depth while at the same time being light and easy t...

Usually referred to as irreverent and whimsical Hubert Harmon was a native of Illinois yet studied at the Parson's School of Design in Paris. In the 1940s, he and his wife Louise settled for a few years in Mexico where Hubert opened a workshop in Taxco and created some of the most interesting designs in the world of vintage Mexican silver jewelry. A lover of parties, poodles and all creatures winged and mythical, he seems to have found inspiration in the country's folk art as well. The so-called...

The "Aztec Roses" motif is a classic for Mexican silver cuff bracelet from the Deco period. They are usually executed en repoussage, come in all widths and configurations and the most "famous" ones are signed by Sanborn's and Maciel. The impressive in heft and presence example I am presenting here differs from most in that its repousse work is closed in the back with an additional sheet of sterling. This technique serves at least two purposes as it protects the relief work and adds strength and ...

A classic, and much published, design for Hector Aguilar, the “masks” bracelet was not an example of the Taxco maestro’s work that I was particularly looking for. I considered it - let’s say - less impressive than the rest of his jewelry and resisted it for the longest of times. Until one day, I somehow ended up with one. And I fell in love- honestly. I think it is the silkiness of the well-aged fine silver and the bracelet’s incredible ability to wrap itself around the wrist as if it�...

A classic design for Hector Aguilar, this bracelet is comprised of a series of heart-shaped links with deeply etched details neatly arranged between two lengths of thick, hand-made chain. A very imposing in its simplicity creation, it is nevertheless a hefty, quite serious piece of jewelry. It feels beguilingly “familiar” around the wrist and conforms to every movement effortlessly. A real pleasure to behold and to wear, a bracelet around which collections are built. Measuring a tad above ...