Catalog (325)

Quite impressive in size and richly decorated with stampwork this vintage sterling silver and turquoise brooch is signed by Navajo silversmith Willie Shaw. I was always attracted to the magical blues and greens of turquoise and I find the so-called "spiderweb" stones irresistible. This particular one, with its big area of all-black, makes the juxtaposition of the two colors even more dramatic. The brooch measures 3 1/2" long and its width varies between 1 1/4" and 5/8". It weighs 23.7 grams an...

Bearing the signature of Sanborn’s, the legendary Mexico City department store’s over whose antiquities and fine arts division Fred Davis was a supervisor in the mid-1930s, this wide, exuberant cuff bracelet is a classic for the genre. Repousse cuffs of this style came to be closely associated with Sanborn’s and Maciel though they were made by other, anonymous and “less celebrated” makers as well. The “Aztec Rose” design that covers the entirety of the bracelet’s surface here mus...

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...

Made in 1978, this vintage English sterling silver ring epitomizes the timeless appeal of Wedgwood jasper "cameo" rings. Wedgwood jasperware cut across genre divides and come in several colors but this darker blue (along with black) is my favorite of all. Hailing from Greece, I appreciate the Greek Revival figural applique as well as the sweet serenity the image of mother-and-child imparts. Currently a sz 6.75 US (resizable by your jeweler but you might lose part of the hallmarks)the ring has a ...

Made in Porto as is indicated by the hallmarks it bears, this vintage sterling hinged bangle is adorned all around with a repousse architectural design. Crisply rendered, the motifs are easily readable to the eye and the juxtaposition between raised surfaces and recesses enhances the bracelet’s sculpturality. Definitely comparable with similar pieces by Portugal’s celebrated makers like Topazio and Safir, this is a piece worthy to be worn alone but it is equally enjoyable in a stack as you c...

Offered here as a pair, these beautiful vintage heishi necklaces are made up of slender shell disks, turquoise, silver and glass beads and what I think are most probably shark teeth. They have been with me for a long, long time and I always thought I would combine them into one longer piece yet never gotten around to it. So it's time for them to go to a new, loving home where they will be worn and enjoyed once again. Please note the rich colors of the turquoise chunks and the wonderful patina th...

One of the better known "less celebrated" maestros of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance, AEM (or, as I like to refer to him, AE Heart because of the heart-shaped M that hugs the signature's other two initials) lived and worked in Mexico City. Of good weight and exhibiting very good craftsmanship, AEM's jewelry often emulate pieces by his more famous contemporaries but he created many original designs himself as well. I am particularly attracted to his hinged bangle bracelets and I also love hi...

I never tire of the double-sided pendant necklaces Victor Jaimez created for Emma Melendez. The perfect blend of Aztec Revival and modernismo Mexicano, they are unfailingly characterized by craftsmanship of the highest level and meticulous finishing. At the same time dramatic and awe-inspiring, the pendant's two sides showcase several techniques as overlay, oxidation and mozaico inlay come together to create the image of Quetzalcoatl and the abstract figure of a Meso-american monkey. The chain ...

The "queen" of shadowbox designs, Victoria - otherwise Ana Maria Nunez de Brilanti - also excelled in the "married metals" technique. Her work is inspired, of the highest quality and today it is considered part of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance design index. The adjustable sterling silver ring I am presenting here is out of her coveted "angel" parure. The form does not come up very often and I am happy to have come upon a beautifully aged example. Beading and black-as-pitch oxidation in the...

Signed by Victoria who is often credited in the relevant literature with having perfected the "mixed metals" technique this big, bold combination pin / pendant brings together sterling silver, copper and brass in an Aztec Revival design. I am fascinated by the seamless marrying of the metals in "casados" pieces and Ana Nunez de Brilanti excelled in their design and crafting. Here, the round "shield" element is slightly concave and catches the light in ever-changing, fascinating ways. Wear it as ...

The art of "metales casados" (mixed or married metals) was practiced by several Taxco workshops yet I think Victoria was its queen. Ana Maria Nunez de Brilanti combined copper, silver and brass not only to design exquisite jewelry but also hollowware of various kinds and decorative objects. In the necklace presented here she seems to be inspired by Egyptian Revival motifs which is not unusual for her - there are at least a couple of other parures she created that tread that same path. Distinctly...

Towering presence and one of the yummiest amethyst quartz spheres you have ever seen make this vintage Joachim S'Paliu ring a must-have addition to every well-dresser's jewelry box. Perched high up on a substantial concave sterling block the stone vibrates with the movement of purple, violet and light lavender waves that swirl around within it and the shank's chunky geometry matches the stone's proportions perfectly. A ring for the ones among us who don't hide away in the shadows it is currently...

I am very partial to hinged bangle bracelets - you get the best of both worlds with them! - and I am very attracted to the Portuguese repousse examples. Signed by Topazio, the country’s foremost manufacturer of silver holloware and decorative items, there is something quite “regal” about this piece. Surrounded by scrolls and foliate motifs the dominant design here is a royal crown. It is repeated in all eight facets in high relief and looks even more sculptural thanks to the patina that ha...

Vintage Topazio Portuguese sterling silver hinged bangle bracelet in a classic for the genre "harvest calendar" design in which different months of the year are illustrated by either a flower, fruit or other staple that characterizes them. I love these bracelets for their representation of the cyclical nature of time and their allusion to earlier decades when the availability of food depended on one's location and the specific season. In the example at hand the figural decoration is distinct and...

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...

Superbly crafted, profusely decorated and visually powerful this early Mexico City repousse figural brooch is an a rather rare example of vermeil silver jewelry from the country's 20th c. Silver Renaissance. I will admit that I am not particularly fond of vermeil - I love the look and feel of aged silver without "enhancements" that make it look like something it is actually not. Yet there are those very very scarce moments when a piece like this shows up and it makes me reconsider. Worn after ye...

Signed by a listed but still unidentified Taxco maestro, this pair of exuberant sterling silver chandelier earrings is set with some of the most vibrant turquoise teardrops I have seen. Yet it is not just the stones that elevate it above and beyond your everyday earrings. The silver-work is equally gorgeous, the hand-cut and deeply chased frames given "body" with just a tad of repoussage and wisely applied oxidation. And did I mention that color in the turquoise??? Measuring 1 7/8" long (incl...

A retailer active in the 1930s and 1940s, Ingrid's was - according to Bille Hougart - known for their high quality hollowware and jewelry which they commissioned from the best Taxco maestros. Sometimes their pieces are also signed by Chato Castillo who seems to have sold work of his through them and more often than not, at least based on my experience, Ingrid's jewelry is big, bold and beautiful! Take the fantastic "Aztec Revival" bracelet at hand as a representative example - or should I call i...