Catalog (326)

One of the best lapidaries in Taxco’s jewelry history, Felipe Martinez created amazing jewelry in many styles. The classy sterling silver and azur-malachite earrings at hand follow the “mozaico Azteca” line that was introduced by the Los Castillo workshop. Rich, dark blues, understated safe and a breath-taking splash of electric green come together in the stone inlay held securely in the most minimal “gypsy” setting. Simple does not mean simplistic! The earrings measure 3/4” square a...

An inspired lapidary and an ingenious designer Felipe Martinez opened his workshop “Piedra y Plata” in 1950. His work is a testament to his exceptional talent and his commitment to impeccable craftsmanship and the use of choice materials. I love all his jewelry but I believe that he was at its best working within the confines of modernism which he enriched with references to Mexico’s archeological past. Piedra y plata, silver and stone, come together here in perfect union, the soft glow of...

Richly colored azur-malachite stone is paired with warmly glowing sterling in this chunky modernist Mexican silver bracelet signed by none other than the maestro of Piedra y Plata, Felipe Martinez. Martinez is one of my absolute favorite Taxco silversmith and a superb lapidary as well. He has an uncanny ability to pair silver with stone that works every single time, as if the two materials were just made to be together. Quite substantial, this specific design I have had in the past with amethyst...

Distinctly Egyptian Revival in its inspiration, the set of Mexican Deco dangle earrings at hand reminds me very much of elements in Margot de Taxco's "Cleopatra" parure; more specifically, the feathers of the "vulture crown" the pharaoh is wearing. More stylized in our case they are here involved in an elaborate knot forming sculptural dangles that hang off the sweetest repousse rosettes. I admit that I have never encountered this specific design before and would also like to draw your attention...

Exuding a primordial strength and keeping its secrets well hidden under layers of hand-etched scales, beading and overlay this stunning creature - I see it as a sea serpent but on second thought and if those appliques running along its spine are stylized feathers, it could be Quetzalcoatl as easily - is another treasure bearing the signature of Doris and her Corpus Artisans group of maestros. Appreciation for Doris jewelry has been growing steadily since I first started dealing in vintage Mexica...

It is always vexing when a hallmark eludes identification and this is (almost) the case with the towering vintage silver ring at hand. Brutalist in design, having a big, semi-translucent chrysoprase cabochon nested in its elevated setting, it bears a partial hallmark which has been suggested to me is probably a maker’s mark from Spain. Home of renowned modernist designers such as Joachim S’Paliu and Puig Doria, Spain sounds like a plausible place of origin for our 1970s ring. Currently a sz ...

Erika Hult de Corral, the award-winning modernist Taxco designer who studied in the Parson’s School of Design in Paris and worked with Sigi Pineda and Enrique Ledesma, is one of the few exceptions for which I will cross the 1980 terminus in my jewelry selection. de Corral came into her own in the 1960s and 1970s, a bit later than most of the Taxco maestros, and her creative streak took her well into the 1980s. Brilliant when she feels truly inspired, she feels at home with modernist, abstract ...

A graduate of the Parson's School of Design in Paris, Erika Hult de Corral is one of my favorite modernist designers and silversmiths in the context of Mexican silver jewelry. Spanning a few decades, her work is unfailingly of the highest quality with attention paid not only to materials but also to finishing and, of course, imaginative design. The ring presented here, wrought in sterling and centered by a scrumptious tiger's eye stone, can also be found with Enrique Ledesma's signature. Since ...

It seems that I will be closing the year with modernist pieces by Erika Hult de Corral. I have already presented two of her necklaces in the last few weeks which have already found new caretakers and this evening it is time for a ring. Though rings are not an uncommon form in the world of vintage Mexican silver jewelry, I have to admit that the examples available usually fall on the conservative side of design but from time to time something interesting and eye-catching shows up. This modernist ...

Made up of heavily “pitted” and oxidized beads, tubular links and a central medallion with asymmetrical dangles this Erika Hult de Corral Mexican silver necklace is an ode to modernism peppered with a touch of brutalism. Ric (as de Corral signs her pieces) has created a few versions of this particular design that I like to refer to as “moonscapes” and they are all a pleasure to wear and to behold. One of the few talented female contributors to Mexico’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance that ...

I have said in the past that Erika Hult de Corral is among the few designers in the world of vintage Mexican silver jewelry for whom I will cross the 1980 threshold. Having studies in the Parson’s School of Design in Paris, she worked with both Ledesma and Sigi Pineda in Taxco before she ventured on her own in the 1960s. Ric’s work can be inspiring when one catches her in her good moments and I am constantly in search of good examples signed by her. Her post-1980 creations often bring togeth...

I have said in the past that Erika Hult de Corral is one of the few designers in the world of Mexican silver jewelry for whom I will cross the 1980 threshold without second thoughts. I believe that her talent and the quality of her work combined with the fact that she is one of the few known female contributors to the country’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance more than warrants the… “transgression”. Slick, with a footprint that allows it to be enjoyed all year round, the necklace at han...

Substantial and quite unusual in its design this modernist Mexican silver bracelet is an Enrique Ledesma creation and it is adorned with two faceted color-change sapphires. The bracelet’s shape reminds me of ancient torques yet here the two ends bypass each other in a tight, determined embrace. I love the way the sterling tube grows in diameter as it progresses to the bracelet’s front where it is abruptly cut at an angle to accept the gemstone in a crown setting. Enrique Ledesma - always ori...

One of Taxco's foremost modernists, Enrique Ledesma was also an accomplished lapidary and his slick, mid-century jewelry often feature a seamless marriage of silver with semi-precious and other stones. In the bracelet presented here, the green inlay is ridged and discreetly held in its sterling setting creating a row of elongated shield-shaped links that moves smoothly and easily conforms to the wrist. Lovely patina, beautiful color variation and a great signature make this a must-have for your ...

I could never exaggerate the sparkle of the two big, faceted color-change sapphires that adorn the opposing “wings” forming the face of the modernist Enrique Ledesma Mexican hinged bracelet at hand! Set here against untreated sterling (quite often, Ledesma uses niello-type oxidation to enhance the contrast between gemstone and silver) the stones pass from amethyst to a steely purple under different light conditions thus mimicking the behavior of alexandrites. The bracelet has an inner circ...

A rather rare design - I have never encountered it before - by Enrique Ledesma, this pair of earrings brings to mind classical representations of the Aztec Sun Disk yet, in fact, the figure centering them is Tlaltecuhtli, one of the Mexica Earth deities, often referred to as the Earth Monster. Very rich in detail and exhibiting a crispness that makes the various motifs easily readable to the eye, the earrings have aged wonderfully, with their oxidation adding depth to the relief and enhancing th...

Graciously aged sterling silver, green stone inlay and warmly glowing copper combine in this Enrique Ledesma Mexican modernist necklace. Ledesma is a favorite Taxco maestro of mine - his modernism is soft and close to the heart; his designs emphasizing gently curving lines that are only enhanced by the richness of earth colors his inlays come in. The elements in the piece at hand are well known to the lover of the maestro’s jewelry yet the addition of the copper “animal teeth” leads to a w...

Out of Enrique Ledesma’s sterling silver and gemstone line, this modernist Mexican hinged bracelet is adorned with two faceted color-change sapphires. Mimicking the behavior of alexandrites by changing hue under different light conditions, these stones are often referred to as alexandrites themselves but they are in fact synthetic corundum. Set on stems that allow them to rise above the ribbon-like applique at the bracelet’s face, the gems go from deep amethyst to a steely purple, their spar...