Superb Necklace by the famous Fred Davis featuring cabochon Amethyst stones set at the center of round silver links alternating with silver links in a shield shape. One of his most iconic designs, it measures 16 1/2" long by 7/8" wide. Hallmarked on one link with the FD mono along with "Silver" on a second links and "Made in Mexico" on a third. Good condition with light wear and tarnish, stones have the typical inclusions (one stone has a very small surface chip on the stone's reverse...

Picture in the book Silver Seductions is a version of this fantastic Antonio Pineda Silver and Amethyst Bracelet. It features heavy open work links inset with marquise cut stones. It measures 7" long by 1" wide and weighs 86.5 grams. Hallmarked with the Antonio Taxco Crown, 970, Sterling Mexico and the eagle stamp 17. With a box clasp and attached safety chain, it is in good condition with only age related wear and tarnish. The amethyst stones have the typical inclusions...

This elegant work of art is a 1940's Spratling design. The ring stands a bit over 1" high. The ring size is about 7 1/2. It is in beautiful condition with some surface wear. Hallmarked SPRATLING SILVER MADE IN MEXICO.

Unique cone shaped deep Black Onyx stones are set along a swirl of smaller silver cones to create these fantastic modernist earrings in a style known as "Gladiator". Beautifully designed the bottom end of the earring curves slightly under your ear lobe. They measure 1" long by 3/4" wide and together they weigh 15.4 grams. Hallmarked Hecho en Mexico with the eagle stamp on one earring and 970 with the Antonio Taxco Crown on the other...

This classic Antonio Pineda bracelet has the bold sculpted style he is known for with thick and heavy horseshoe shaped links crafted in his favorite 970 silver. Measures 8" long, a longer and hard to find length by 7/8" wide and it weighs a substantial 85.6 grams. In good vintage condition with only light age related wear and minor tarnish. There is a secure box clasp and safety chain. Hallmarked with the Antonio Taxco crown, 970, Taxco, Silver and the eagle stamp...

An excellent late Victorian silver baton link watch chain, the batons decorated with niello in a checkboard pattern. The batons are joined by gilt silver curb links. Even the dog clip and bolt clasps are enhanced with striped niello. The chain is stamped “800.”

• Origin: Switzerland, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent, all niello intact
• Length: 16-1/2”
• Weight: 10.4 grams

It looks like this is a Matl year for One Good Eye Silver and I couldn't be happier about it! A few months ago I presented a Deco Matilde Poulat cross pendant necklace with kneeling angels and today I am featuring another, possibly earlier, variation of the design but this one wrought in fine, .980 silver...

Sold through Plateria Cortes this Taxco mid-century silver and stone necklace is signed by Enrique Ledesma and indeed considered a classic example of the Mexican modernist. Ledesma excelled in the marriage of sterling and semi-precious or hard stones is sleek, minimalist designs so his jewelry has a timeless appeal and is very much relevant today as it was when it first saw the day of light...

A classic design for renowned Taxco modernist Enrique Ledesma, this set of vintage sterling silver Mexican mid-century earrings comes with clips and is set with green inlay, possibly azur-malachite or some kind of agate. There is nothing fussy about the pair - good, honest materials, clarify of form and fluidity of lines...

One of the most interesting - and few - female figures of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance, Doris Smith Chamberlin was a Texas-born American who decided to move to Mexico in the 1940s to open her own workshop after having completed post-graduate studies in art and having taught woodworking, textile-making and silver-smithing for a few years in California (I am grateful to Decotini for the information)...

An exceptional pair of Art Deco platinum, emerald, diamond and onyx cufflinks by Cartier. Each face is made from a melon-carved emerald bead dating to India's Mughal Empire (17th/18th centuries), topped with a round onyx disk centered with an old European cut diamond. The emeralds, variously weighing approximately 5.94, 5.49, 4.53 and 4.20 carats, totalling just over 20 carats. The emeralds have a strong green color with natural inclusions characteristic of the Chivor mines in Colombia...

A lovely 18K gold bracelet in the Louis XVI style, the links fashioned as floral and foliate wreaths alternately centered with old European cut diamonds and round cut rubies. The pierced design lends a light appearance despite the bracelet’s substantial weight. The clasp is stamped with French 18K gold marks.

• Origin: France, ca...

A delicate early Art Deco gold chain worked in 14K white gold filigree. Each of the baton-shaped links is centered with a short length of ropetwist to create the filigree appearance. Marked “14K.”

• Origin: America, ca. 1925
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 25-5/8” long
• Weight: 3.6 grams

Open the ornately engraved box to reveal a miniature record play complete with an album that turn and a moveable needle arm. The controls are represented by small turquoise and coral cabochons. The music box plays “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” a song recorded by everyone from Patti Page to Bing Crosby to Ethel Merman, to Micky and Minnie Mouse...

One of the few female designers of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance that we know of, Bernice Goodspeed arrived in Mexico's capital in 1930, according to Bille Hougart...

Beautiful Hobe bracelet made of cast 1 " (2.5 cm) hinged squares with hand applied filigree leaves and coils that hold unfoiled sapphire, ruby and clear color stones. It is 7" (17.4 cm) long, not including the tongue part of the clasp. It also has an extra locking mechanism on the side and loops where a guard chain could be added. It is signed Hobe on the back. In as close to perfect condition as a piece this old could be, it is a rare and wonderful find. Please Note: All items must hav...

A handsome griffin with back-stretched wings, a lion’s head and a curling serpent’s tail grasps an old mine cut diamond in this 19th century French brooch and necklace slide. Interestingly, the creature’s tongue is licking the diamond. The eye is set with a small faceted ruby. The back retains the original pin stem and a hinged clasp so the griffin can be attached to a chain. The hinged clasp is marked “Déposé” meaning the griffin was a patented design. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold...

A classic coin pendant in a simple 18K gold frame, but featuring a spectacularly rare and beautiful “Franc a cheval” coin from the reign of Jean II “le Bon” (“the Good.”) The coin was minted in Paris for just a little more than three years, December 1360-April 64. The front of the coin depicts the king charging on horseback, wearing full armor and a fleur-de-lis crown and with his broadsword raised. The horse, too, is decked out in armor decorated with fleurs-de-lis. The image is sur...

A lovely small locked in the form of a four-leaf clover worked in 18K yellow gold. One petal is set with a round ruby. Each of the leaves is shaped in an exaggerated heart form, perhaps to suggest the beloved contents of the interior. The interior retains the original frames and glass covers, as well as photos of the original owner’s young husband and little girl in period clothing. The locket and jump ring are both stamped with French gold marks. Interestingly, the back of the jump ring is en...

A lovely 18K yellow gold, diamond, and ruby love pendant (“medaille d’amour”) with a rebus spelling out “Plus qu’hier, moins que demain” (“More than yesterday, less than tomorrow”), a line from the love poem written by Rosemonde Gérard to her husband Edmond Rostand (author of “Cyrano de Bergerac”) in 1889. In 1907, the Lyonnais jewelry Alphonse Augis created a love token based on the poem. His designs changed over time and this piece is a classic example from the 1960s. The ...

A lovely 18K yellow gold, diamond, and ruby love pendant (“medaille d’amour”) with a rebus spelling out “Plus qu’hier, moins que demain” (“More than yesterday, less than tomorrow”), a line from the love poem written by Rosemonde Gérard to her husband Edmond Rostand (author of “Cyrano de Bergerac”) in 1889. In 1907, the Lyonnais jewelry Alphonse Augis created a love token based on the poem. The word “plus” is represented by a plus sign set with a diamond and the word “m...

A lovely 18K yellow gold, diamond and ruby love pendant (“medaille d’amour”) with a rebus spelling out “Plus qu’hier, moins que demain,” (“More than yesterday, less than tomorrow”) a line from the love poem written by Rosemond Gérard to her husband Edmond Rostand (author of “Cyrano de Bergerac”) in 1889. In 1907, the Lyonnais jewelry Alphonse Augis created a love token based on the poem, and his designs became iconic. In this example, the word “moins” is represented by a...

An iconic personality for advocates of female empowerment, Jeanne d’ Arc is not a figure I expected to see on a piece of jewelry by the Los Castillo. I look at the pendant and I see Margot de Taxco at her drawing table, sketch pencil in hand, making the French heroine materialize on paper before she is cast in sterling silver. Very unusual - I have never seen one before - the pendant is crafted “cameo style”, with Jeanne d’ Arc on horseback, brandishing her sword in full armor for the fo...

An antique silver - most probably sterling - watch fob with original chain and dog clip, this sweet little find is, I believe, from the late Victorian / Edwardian period. There is nothing mundane about it either - I find the basketweave ribbon that runs the fob's perimeter at the waist eye-catching as well as the wire-work above it. Both elements enhance the orb's sculpturality which is, of course, underscored by oxidation and patina. The chain is comprised by "infinity" links and the dog clip a...

This amazing and beautiful necklace by Hector Aguilar is crafted in his favorite 940 Silver and is known as his "Six Spheres" design. It measures 19" long by 1 1/2" wide and weighs an impressive 233.4 grams. Hallmarked "HA, Taxco, 940". Secure box clasp. No damage noted. This necklace is featured in many books on Mexican Silver and is a fine example of this style.

An early Mexican Deco silver repousse "mask" brooch, this pieces is wrought in sterling and its maker adorned their portrait with a long, dangling earring. It is evident from the piece's craftsmanship that its creator was well-trained maestro. Despite the thinner gauge of sterling sheet used, there is depth and good definition in the repoussage which result in easily "readable" details and good sculpturality. I have had many "mask" jewelry over the years by both anonymous and well-known makers a...

Pendant necklaces are a favorite of mine - I love their versatility and the fact that I can layer them whichever way I want. Luckilly, there is a fabulous selection within the world of vintage Mexican silver jewelry to choose from but I feel particularly lucky to have come upon an example of a classic Taxco design that is, however, smaller in scale than pendants of this design usually in. Set with a color-change sapphire (often, and mistakenly, referred to as “alexandrite”) the “Aztec Sun�...

How often does one find a ring by renowned Taxco modernist Enrique Ledesma? Let me answer my question - almost never! Over the years of my buying, selling and researching vintage Mexican silver jewelry, I have come upon a few examples, almost all of them adorned with a color-change sapphire. I had never seen a ring in the design I am presenting here until I discovered this one some time ago. All other pieces in the parure (necklaces, bracelets, brooches and earrings) can be found relatively easi...

When I first started my love-affair with vintage Mexican silver jewelry, I found myself intrigued by the work of artists whose names were not among the first ones a new collector would focus on. I love a challenge and seeking out “less celebrated” maestros who nevertheless created superbly crafted jewelry in imaginative designs became my “mission”. I have written in the past that “Cecilia and Tono are one of those well-hidden, well-kept "secrets" vintage Taxco holds for those of us who...

This iconic Antonio Pineda Taxco Silver Bracelet featuring six large oval cabochon stones set to float above oval silver disks. Measures 7" long by 3/4" wide. Decorative clasp and attached safety chain. Hallmarked with the Antonio Taxco Crown, 970, Hecho en Mexico, Silver, ZZ 694 and the eagle stamp. No damage noted. This is a stunning bracelet that will always be in style.

A fabulous Necklace Set by Sigi Pineda features four separate strands of brushed sterling silver beads which can be combined with one of three different silver and obsidian clasps to create various style necklaces. The beads measure 14 1/2", 15 1/2", 16 1/2" & 17 1/2" long. The clasps measure 7/8" by 1/2", 1" by 5/8" and 2 1/2" by 1 1/2". The largest also has a pin back so it can be worn as a brooch. All clasps are hallmarked. No damage noted. This is a fantastic and rare set from an important M...

An iconic early bracelet by the important Fred Davis with a shield and round Amethyst cabochon design. Measures 7" long by 1 1/8" wide and weighs 66.7 grams. Hallmarked Silver, FD, Made in Mexico. Hook closure. Stones have the typical inclusions but no damage noted. A gorgeous bracelet.

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...

This gorgeous necklace by the famous Antonio Pineda is a fabulous example of his superb craftsmanship and design skill. It features deep purple Amethyst stones in a unique tear drop shape set in curved silver links. It measures 16" long by 3/4" wide and weighs 81.8 grams. No damage noted. Secure clasp. Hallmarked with the Antonio Taxco Crown, Silver, 970, Hecho en Mexico along with the eagle 17. A simply gorgeous piece

It's been a very long time since I offered a Mexican clamper bracelet and I am happy to be starting again with a classic Taxco design, this repousse and shadowbox "Quetzalcoatl" example. The maestro who signs it I am familiar with - he worked in Taxco and it seems that clamper bracelets were one of his favorite forms. Always beautifully executed, his repoussage has good sculpturality and finishing and his jewelry, albeit not as heavy as those of the big talleres, has the weight necessary to impa...

Bold, colorful and generously long this vintage Mexican chain necklace is signed by Cecilia and Tono, one of Taxco's most successful duos. The combination of chunky amethyst, slender sterling tubes and lozenge stations embellished with azur-malachite inlay is undoubtedly eye-catching and I love the irregular shape of the stone beads which underscores their hand-cut quality. Wear it alone or combine it with similar pieces, the result will be stunning either way. The necklace measures 31 1/4" lon...