Catalog (319)

Stunning Taxco modernist sterling silver pendant necklace this set seems to borrow stylistically from both Antonio Pineda (in its use of the black velvet cord) and the Los Ballesteros workshops (in featuring that huge gemstone). The signature it bears, however, attributes it to a listed yet still unidentified Mexican maestro whose work I have had before but about whom we don't really know that much. The pendant's good weight, sweeping, free-flowing curves and the crown-set citrine (according to ...

A variation of Antonio's amethyst cluster necklaces that doesn't come up often, this modernist dream is wrought in Pineda's signature fine, .970 alloy and adorned with richly colored stones. The renowned Taxco designer plays with a-symmetry here as the necklace's focal point, the stylized amethyst floral cascade, reaches out from the back of the neck and unfolds itself on its right side instead of occupying the center front. Each link rests its outer perimeter on the body but rises slightly abov...

Fun and perfect for this summer - especially if you decide to stay away from beaches! - this mod sterling silver "fish with air bubble" necklace by Los Castillo comes out of the workshop's "onix negro" line of jewelry. I find this technique fascinating - it poses a big challenge to the lapidary's and silversmith's abilities as the onyx slab has to be carved out precisely to the dimensions of the sterling inlay that will be set in it. The transition from one material to the other has to be perfec...

Though it is not uncommon to find Mexican silver fur pins, it is usually single pieces that are available. Here, however, there is a pair bearing the signature of the Los Castillo in a “bow and flower” design. I am not sure if the workshop ever made a whole parure available in this specific design - I have had the small bow necklace / bracelet sets in the past but this is an enhanced version, with more elements added to the bow and the bow itself bigger and fancier. I have seen one or two br...

Classic Los Ballesteros Mexican silver and mottled agate bracelet, this is an iteration of the popular "dimpled dot" design thanks to the oval links separating the bezel-set stones. One of the oldest Mexican workshops, the Los Ballesteros taller was first founded in Iguala in 1937 yet by 1941 it was moved to Taxco. The re-location seems to have brought about a change in the character of their work as well, marking the complete abandonment of traditional filigree designs that characterized their ...

“Jewels by Tono”, the signature found on the figural Mexican silver and carved amethyst brooch at hand, is one of Antonio Pineda’s early hallmarks. Holding a fan, his hair in a long braid, part of his face obscured by the wide coolie hat, the man portrayed here is meant to hail from the “exotic Far East”. Yet interestingly enough the face itself betrays Mexican origins, its features exactly the same as those of carved stone “masks” set in classic Taxco jewelry from its “archeolog...

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...

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...

An intriguing contributor to Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance, Taller Taxco is a workshop that, as far as my experience goes, created jewelry that were solely based on Salvador Teran's designs. High quality, attention to detail and generous weight distinguish their work from other, "lesser known" modernist talleres yet to this day, a relationship between them and Teran has not been firmly established. Whichever the case might be, the curved lozenge earrings presented here, based on Salvador o...

Drawing inspiration from Mexico’s Spanish Colonial past, this sterling silver necklace and earrings set by Margot de Taxco combines dark oxidation with overlay and deep hand-chasing to achieve an elaborate and rich Old World visual effect. I find the central station to resemble a carnival mask - I know, too Venetian but then, carnivals were celebrated in Spain as well though not as elegantly or extravagantly. The earrings, extra wide, mirror the shape of the necklace’s focal point while refl...

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. And even though the stone...

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�...

Matilde Poulat needs no introduction to the seasoned Mexican silver collector but I believe her work is equally appreciated by all lovers of bold, earthy, hand-crafted jewelry. Matl’s creations have a unique, powerful character - there is nothing timid or hesitant about them and I cherish them for exactly that. The ring presented here is a design that comes up less frequently than some of her other rings. It features Poulat’s signature wire-work ornamentation and channel-set turquoise cabs b...

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. The “mask” is big and bold and I love the generous prongs holding it in place at the top like bent ant...

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. Good casting and beautiful patina render the design three-dimensional and I do love the unexpected brown s...

In my last treasure-hunting adventure I ended up with a couple of really really nice cross pendants and necklaces. The first one to gain center stage is this two-sided Flli Coppini Italian silver example. Executed in the .800 alloy that was the Italian standard until 1934, the pendant is crisply cast and its profusion of detail and ornamentation is easily readable to the eye. A generously-sized piece, it is shown in one of the photos here with a Peruzzi / Coppini style silver chain so you can ge...

An ode to Mexico’s ancient crafts this “tribal” necklace wrought in sterling silver with bone links and agate beads bears the signature of Reveriano (Reveri) Castillo. Though the Castillos did, on occasion, incorporate Aztec and Maya artifacts and beads in their jewelry, I believe that here the materials used are contemporary to the designer but brought together is such a way as to evoke ancient types of personal adornment. Everything here is hand-made, with the help of the most rudimentar...

True to the philosophy of the Arts and Crafts movement which valued artistry and craftsmanship at the expense of ostentatious materials this early 20th c. ring is wrought in silver and centered by a glorious Peking glass cabochon. The ring’s bezel is supported by laurel leaves, their layering given depth by oxidation while the white swirls in the green cab bestow it the dynamism of turbulent water. Currently a sz 4.25 US the ring is easily resizable. Its face is 1 1/8” N-S and 5/8” E-W, h...