Catalog (322)

I have written in the past that Elna jewelry is more often than not very generous in proportions but this stunner of a bracelet goes above and beyond that! It is not just its sheer monumentality that impresses. It is also the classically "archaeological" character of the design itself which is expressed by the carved stone "mask" of an ancient Aztec Eagle warrior. Awesome in its military magnificence, the portrait is flanked by highly stylized butterfly (?) links with big cabochons set in bezels...

Exceedingly difficult to find (I will not say "almost impossible" because I am an optimist at heart!) these Mexican Deco silver repousse hinged bracelets with rows of stone cabochons come in all widths and material combinations. In my experience, the ones with turquoise tend to be the most sought after but amethyst is also popular and I have had examples with black onyx and even colored glass before. The specific marriage of semi-spheres and cabochons probably originated in Mexico City and Fred ...

I have had full-sized Mexican silver and stone "idol" pendant necklace before but none like this exquisite example I am presenting here. Beautifully carved and visually imposing, the pendant's onyx Aztec / Maya male figure is shown in what I believe might be a supplication position. Cross-hatched bracelets carved into the stone hug his wrists while a silver necklace and an impressive headdress are the only other adornments covering his naked body. Suspended on an entirely hand-wrought sterling c...

Impressive takes on a whole different meaning when the work of the Los Castillo taller is concerned - and the wide, exuberantly vibrant floral and foliate repousse bracelet I am presenting here proves the point. Continuing in the 1940s’ spirit that called for designs derived from nature in jewelry production, this piece is a celebration of everything verdant - organic in an unexpected way, full of movement, reaching for the sunlight, twisting and twirling with the wind. A bracelet worthy of th...

In the years I have been buying and selling vintage Mexican silver jewelry I have seen many "mask" pieces - this is, after all, one of the "pillars" in the genre's design index and I am also very partial to it and always on the look out for good examples. I have to also admit that seeing jewelry of a certain kind over and over again makes one a little more blasé and hence, more difficult to impress. Yet impressed I was with this astounding combination pin / pendant I am presenting here. Monumen...

One of the Mexican designs inspired by Far Eastern cultures, the koi fish are a signature creation of Margot de Taxco and the Los Castillo yet its popularity prompted many of their "less celebrated" or anonymous contemporary maestros to come up with their own versions of it. And thankfully so because one can now find a beautiful example by a talented maker without having to break the bank - or at least not in a truly dramatic way! The all-silver necklace at hand is just such a welcome find. Very...

Classic and classy this fab Los Castillo necklace will astonish you with the way it feels and looks once you have it on. An iconic Taxco piece with its cascading festoon links and its playful teardrop repousse dangles the design draws from Mexico's long Spanish Colonial tradition. Much heavier than the unsigned imitations that surface from time to time, it wears like a dream and has a very strong visual effect. And if you need some extra length, it can easily accept a simple sterling extension t...

One of my absolute favorite designs by Gerardo Lopez, this silver and copper "mask" necklace I have sold a few times during my career as a vintage Mexican jewelry dealer and I never tire of it! There is so much to attract the eye here and every time you look at it, you spot something new and exciting. Meticulously cut ornate sterling "frames", oxidized and embellished with overlay, surround the highly sculptural copper "masks". Lopez's decision to flank the central "portrait" with smaller versio...

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 ...

Slick, a modernist dream-come-true, crafted with the highest quality of craftsmanship and studded with the most beautiful tiger's eye you have ever seen, this slick Mexican silver necklace was made in Taxco in the 1950s-60s. It is made up of graduated links in a design that has also been used by maestros like the unsurpassed Felipe Martinez, and the stones glow like melted gold! Classically elegant and a pleasure to wear the necklace measures 14 3/5" long and its width varies between 13/16" and...

Exquisite Matl Salas Mexican silver, coral and turquoise brooch, I believe this piece to have been made in the years following Matilde Poulat’s death in 1960 based on the quality of the materials used and the high level of craftsmanship. Maestro Salas, Matl’s nephew, worked alongside his aunt for most of Matilde’s career and upon her demise, he (and later his family) took over the workshop and continued making jewelry based on Poulat’s designs. Steeped in Mexico’s folk tradition, the b...

Very reminiscent of jewelry created in the 1950s by Graziella Laffi, the Italian-born jewelry designer habitually referred to as “the Spratling of Peru”, this is a rarely surfacing creation of Carmen Beckmann’s. Thick, hand-hammered silver sheet that was then oxidized is used to form the bracelet’s main body. Upon that an impressive fish applique marries the piece’s Arts and Crafts feeling with the stylization of ancient Meso-american glyphs. The applique’s thickness adds sculpturali...

Saturated blues and greens juxtaposed to the warm glow of well-aged silver soften the austere geometry of this Los Castillo modernist cuff bracelet. Out of the workshop’s “mozaico Azteca” line which celebrates the art of seamless inlay, the cuff is also showcasing the beauty of azur-malachite. There is nothing superfluous here - economy of design, honesty of materials and craftsmanship of the highest level combine in a visual power-house, a piece of mid-century wearable art. The cuff has a...

One of my favorite "less celebrated" maestros whose jewelry, however, has been experiencing a constant rise in appreciation among collectors, A. Tobias was a contemporary of Matilde Poulat's and I believe he was probably also working in Mexico City. His creations caught my attention several years ago for their characteristic "Mexico City style" repoussage and their beautiful craftsmanship. I have since come to find out that he also designed some amazing "mask" brooches and tried his hand at impr...

An early Mexican Deco bracelet, made in Mexico City as indicated by its hallmarks, this massive piece is as well-crafted as it is impressive. Impressive might even be an understatement, actually. Though it is true that vintage Mexican silver jewelry is not of the delicate, demure kind, even after so many years of researching, buying and selling them, I find myself at a loss for words when a piece like this shows up. I love the Spanish Colonial air of the wirework adorning the convex panels with ...

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 ...

Breathtakingly beautiful this vintage sterling silver cuff bracelet, Navajo or Southwestern based on the style, is one of those pieces that become heirlooms. Exceptionally well crafted, it is centered by a huge oval lace agate, the color of the stone showing at times powdery blue, at times light grey. Set in a fine saw-tooth bezel, the agate is surrounded by beading and beautiful, richly layered foliate and floral overlay. This is a signed piece, as you can see in the last photo, but I have not ...

Signed by Mary Gage, the eccentric yet talented silversmith (among other vocations!) of the late American Arts and Crafts movement, this wide sterling silver band ring is entirely hand-wrought and features her signature "lily pads" motif. It seems that Gage crafted this ring in 14k yellow gold as well which probably explains why, if you look really closely to the clusters of tiny beading separating the lily pads, you will spot two or three that are made of gold. Generously wide, with a fantastic...