An applied shimmering sterling double boomerang, riveted on the highly polished and oxidized body catches the eye in this vintage Mexican silver bracelet by renowned Taxco modernist Enrique Ledesma. A successful marriage of the link and bangle forms, it is made up of three articulated “wings” and when worn maintains is circular shape perfectly. It’s been a while since I offered an example of this specific Ledesma line and I am very happy to be presenting this piece today...

A magnificent and rare sterling and striped agate bracelet by Bent Knudsen, Denmark, circa 1950. The highly polished striped agate stones absolutely pop and the oval shape is a great contrast in design to the alternating square links with cut out circles. The bracelet measures 7 1/4"-7 1/2" around in the inside when closed and is 1 3/4" wide. It weighs a very hefty 137 grams. The original safety chain is intact. Fine original condition, no chips or cracks to the stones...

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...

Lovely vintage sterling and moonstone ring by Georg Jensen Denmark. This has an early Jensen hallmark, dating it 1915-30. The ring is a size 8 3/4 but can be sized. Weighing 5 grams, it is in fine original condition with hallmarks as shown. Charming.

One of Taxco's most famous modernists Sigi Pineda was also a very prolific designer and at his best moments, truly inspired. I am used to seeing minimalist, fluid pieces by him and the brooch at hand, wrought in sterling silver and adorned with a teardrop-shaped obsidian, is the result of a good moment indeed...

Bearing the signature of Pedro Castillo who opened his own workshop in 1940, after having worked for both William Spratling and Hector Aguilar this early Taxco modernist necklace is made using the overlay technique which has also been enhanced by purposeful oxidation. Perfectly finished, it has generous weight and at just a hair less than 16", it is not only a gorgeous piece to wear but it is quite comfortable...

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...

Attributions are a difficult issue in the world of vintage Mexican silver jewelry - they are almost never accepted. If a piece is not signed, it’s just not signed! In this case, however, I will put my years of experience behind my suggestion that the necklace I am presenting here is the work of Reveriano Castillo. When I acquired it, it had no clasp and since the specific Reveri design is usually marked exactly there, the connection to its maker was lost...

Breath-taking both in proportions and its masterfully executed repoussage this sterling silver Mexican Deco belt buckle is simply unbelievable. Its two mirrored parts represent Quetzalcoatl, the divine Moesoamerican Feathered Serpent, a motif which appears quite often in vintage Mexican silver jewelry...

Delicate and quite romantic with their Spanish Colonial bows and a half-hidden heart motif this set of Los Castillo earrings is elegant and nostalgic at the same time. Crisp finishing and a beautifully glowing patina complete the "package" - I will let the photos say the rest while I provide the specifics: 1 3/8" long by 1 1/8" wide, weighing 11.2 grams (for the set). Fully signed with maker's name as well as "TAXCO" and Eagle 15 assay mark...

The size of Pendant: 1"L x 7/8" W x 5/16" H
The size of Opal: 5/8" L x 3/8" W x 1/4" H (18mmx10mmx7mm)
The length of Silver chain 18 1/4" Long
Material of Stone: Mexican Fire Opal in oval shape design.
This is Beautiful Mexican Fire Opal mounted on artist made as Pendanton
Sterling silver base. It is signed on the back as, BG engraved, artist name.
It has Sterling marking on necklace chain.
Age of pendant and necklace not known but at least
30 years old...

I am a big fan of Carmen Beckmann’s Etruscan style jewelry - her domed Etruscan ring is a foundational piece in my collection and I enjoy it thoroughly. There is something about the way the wire-work and tiny florets with their bead centers oxidize with time that creates an air of warm, comfortable luxury around them that gets me every time. I could easily see the dangle earrings at hand worn by dignified Roman matrons leisurely enjoying their honeyed wine...

Extraordinary vintage sterling and red coral petit point earrings by Zuni Edith Tsatbetsaye , circa 1970. Many silversmiths created petit point pieces but this silversmith took the art to an extreme. The slender marquis petite points are cut with a semi-circular high domed arch that is her trademark. These earrings measure 7/8" by 3/4" and have posts for pierced ears. They are in fine original condition , weigh 6 grams total and there are no missing stones and no chips or cracks to any stone...

One of the most talented, innovative maestros of Mexico’s 20th c...

Maestro C. Molina is one of those “enigmatic” figures of Mexico’s 20th c. Silver Renaissance. Even in Bille Hougart’s seminal work on hallmarks and makers there is minimal information about him - namely, two or three examples of the way his jewelry is hallmarked and the photos are really difficult to read. Yet I have come upon his works several times during my years of buying and selling vintage Mexican silver and our lack of information notwithstanding, I have come to appreciate the hig...

One of the best "manufacturers" of silver jewelry and holloware in Peru Industria Peruana created some amazing "Inca Revival" (if I am permitted the term) pieces around the middle of the 20th c. when Graziella Laffi was also active. Their designs are beautifully executed with crisp detail and careful finishing and very often it is Peru's rich history that provided the motifs. The necklace at hand with its three "Inca cat" links is also adorned with deep green/blue stone disks set as the felines'...

Circa mid-century, this Antonio Pineda cuff is a book-piece design shown in "Silver Seduction: The Art of Mexican Modernist Antonio Pineda". Pure eye candy, this concave cuff features nine conical amethysts which appear to be floating on a center pivoting arm. The amethysts are wonderful old Mexican stones with natural inclusions and quartz marbling. This will fit a smaller wrist. Mine is 6" and it fits me comfortably with room to spare. It is not adjustable in size. Width is 1 5/8" in fro...

This pre-1948 bracelet is a Fred Davis design, here hallmarked simply "Mexico Silver". Composed of six large silver panels, each set with a large amethyst cabochon, this bracelet measures a closed, wearable length of 7 1/2" with a width of 1 3/8". Weight is 67.7 grams. Fold over clasp gives this piece a seamless appearance. In excellent vintage condition. Stones are gorgeous, perfectly matched in color

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...

Maestro Mateo of Taxco is known among vintage jewelry collectors for his modernist, mostly brutalist, ring designs. His work is sought after for its quality, the beauty of the stones he incorporates in his pieces and the strong sense of tension that his rings exude. His career strides the divide between the so-called Eagle mark period and that of the T-marks and, in my experience, he is one of the very few silversmiths who used .950 alloys before they became the norm in the 1980s. When I came up...

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...

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...

The combination of fine, high purity silver and moonstone is one of my favorite and was equally favored, it seems, by Antonio Pineda, Taxco's renowned modernist. Set in three-dimensional 970 silver settings the stones at hand have a luminous pearlescence that draws the eye into their magical depths, and perfectly reflect the warm glow of the precious metal surrounding them. Antonio's jewelry is characterized by an unfailing sense of easy luxury and that feeling is present here as well. Substanti...

A classic Venetian Etruscan 18K gold charm set with oval amethysts. The gold surfaces are ornately worked with rosettes, beaded and rope-twist decoration. The amethysts have nice intense violet color that contrasts beautifully with the surrounding gold. Charms of this type are usually extremely large, but this example is in a rare smaller size that’s easier to wear on a bracelet or as a pendant. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

• Origin: Italy, ca. 1955
• Condition: excellent
• Dime...

Playing the violin with abandon as is evident by their determined expression, Margot de Taxco’s “musician putti” come here in earring form which is a rather rare occurrence. The specific angelic musician is usually found hanging off Margot’s charm bracelet of the same design, one out of a band of nine, and even though I have had the bracelet a few times in the past, this is the first pair of earrings I have found. Big, beautifully aged over the years of their long life, sitting on a rose...

One of the techniques the Los Castillo workshop pioneered, “pluma Azteca” uses dyed bird feathers as inlay to adorn jewelry and other decorative items. Quite impressive in their colorful vibrancy, the feathers can also be vulnerable, especially when they are left exposed, resulting in a rather small number of “pluma” jewelry having survived over the years. The articulated torque-type necklace at hand is a wonderful exception. Combining the slick minimalism of its modernist silver-work wi...

Impressively long and beguilingly slick with its glowing tapering dangles half-hiding a bullet-shaped piece of black onyx, this is one of Antonio Pineda’s most eye-catching set of earrings. Simple yet visually strong lines that re-affirm the philosophy of less-is-more in the world of adornment; smooth as silk, dancer-like motion; fleshy geometry (if you allow me the word combination), all come together and become a piece of wearable art in the hands of Mexico’s modernist magician. Measuring ...

This hand-wrought Mexican necklace dates to pre-1948,

It's an exquisite piece with highly detailed silver work, and it looks beautiful on. Measuring 36" in length, the two sides can clip together about 4" from each end.

Signed and hallmarked on the bottom of each ball "S.D. Hecho en Mexico 0.925".

Weight is 80.5 grams.

In excellent vintage condition.

From his first design period, with hallmarks dating 1940- 46, this is a silver conch pin designed by William Spratling and featured in books on Mexican silver. Measuring 2 3/4" by 2", weighs 21 grams and is signed as shown. The pin clasp may have been replaced . One of Spratling's favorite designs.

Who among lovers of vintage Mexican silver jewelry does not know Margot de Taxco's zodiac treasures? Charms, pendant, charm bracelets and brooches, they come in all those forms and they are avidly collected. Yet how many times have you come upon a mini, almost lingerie size, Margot astrological pin? Rare and sweet as can be, this 1 1/2" Aries beauty is irresistible. I can easily see it worn alongside one of its... "adult" versions, don't you think? Just just a tad over 1 1/2" tall by 13/16" wide...

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...

This mid-century bracelet is the work of Salvador Teran. It's a gorgeous modernist bracelet with two gold sheen obsidian stones set within eight point stars. Measures a closed, wearable length of 6 1/2" with a width of 1 1/2". Weight is 48.5 grams. Signed and hallmarked "Salvador Sterling Mexico", with the design # 156 and eagle assay 36. Collector quality. Closure is tight and secure, and original safety chain is present.

When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade and when it hands you an orphan cuff link, you have it converted into a ring. I have always been very partial to pieces of jewelry that would normally come in pairs but lost their partner over the course of their adventurous life. Conversions, though a dedicated, purist collector’s nightmare, are to me a welcome way of prolonging the journey of an otherwise shunned piece by providing it with a new purpose, a new opportunity to be enjoyed and admire...

Jewelry hosting carved stone hearts in silver settings was very popular in the Mexican Deco period. Teased out of jasper and agate and oftentimes even dyed calcite, the hearts are unfailingly curvaceous as if pulsing with life, their sculpturality shamelessly inviting the touch. The carvings usually dominate the piece with the silver-work providing discreet framing and even though the motif was taken up again in the post-1980 period, the later examples lack the vivacity of the old pieces. Here i...

Hallmarks date this Hector Aguilar necklace pre-1948. Detachable pendant is original to the V chain, and this piece is collector quality. A book piece in "Silver Masters of Mexico", there shown with an amethyst pendant. The pendant here is a dense green stone with swirls of various hues - absolutely gorgeous. Measures 15 1/2" without the tongue portion of the clasp. Pendant is 1 1/2" x 1 1/4". Signed and hallmarked on both chain and pendant with the conjoined HA, Taxco 940. Quite substant...

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...

Stern and solemn, a gorgeous example of classic Mexican Deco lapidary work, the chrysoprase “mask” centering the silver pendant at hand looks dignified and at ease, completely unaffected by the weight of its ornate headdress. The hefty, entirely hand-wrought chain that accompanies it is, I believe, original to the necklace and perfectly reflects the pendant’s heaviness. Signed by one of Taxco’s “less celebrated” maestros, those listed in the relevant literature yet still unidentified...

The combination of fine purity silver with silky, shimmering pearls is among my favorite when it comes to Antonio Pineda’s work. And the modernist floral brooch I am presenting here is a superb example not only of the renowned Taxco maestro’s exceptional sense of design but also of the quality of materials he used. I love the fluid, curvaceous body of the elongated “pod” and the tender forcefulness (I know, a contradiction in terms, right?) with which the stamens emerge out of it. Slick ...

Hand-wrought in its entirety and a design that I have never encountered before, this early Mexican silver repousse necklace is an anonymous beauty. Its early date is attested to by the fact that it's strung on cotton thread (one of the earliest Aguilar "lyre" necklaces I sold was strung on cotton as well) and has a spring ring clasp. Not signed for maker nor metal content or origin, it is adorned by an elongated cascabela attached to the central station in an adorable yet naive way. I have to ad...

Possibly my most favorite Carmen Beckmann ring design (an example lives in my jewelry box), her Etruscan style domed creation presented here is an ode to wire-work and micro-beading. It rises regally above the finger yet because of all those curved, glistening surfaces, it never creates problems to the wearer like most rings that are so high do. And though its “stature” is by itself impressive, it is all those nooks and crannies among the profusion of design elements coming together here tha...

I love pearls and when they are nested in an Antonio Pineda fine silver modernist setting, I consider myself in heaven! All the more so when it’s three glorious, softly shimmering pearls we are talking about. Graduated in size and each one a different hue, they are comfortably sitting in their precious channel, as if their only concern is to showcase the variety of nacre colors. The ring is a sz 8 1/2 US and 7/16” wide. It weighs 12.2 grams and is signed with Antonio's crown as shown alongs...

Sleek modernism and heavy sterling combine in this Sigi Pineda bracelet which seems to be one of the maestro’s earlier creations and a relatively harder piece to find as well. Perfect finishing, generous weight, a blissful marriage of glistening silver and dark oxidation and inspired design, all features that make Sigi jewelry exceptional can be seen at work here. What a beauty indeed… The bracelet has a 6 3/4” inner circumference (clasped)and its width varies between 1 1/16″ and 5/8"....

Originally a painter who in the 1930s moved to Mexico to participate in the country’s cultural scene, Bernice Goodspeed quickly moved into designing and selling her own jewelry out of the store she and her fellow-artist husband Carl Pappe opened in Taxco. Bernice’s work does not come up often and I am very excited to have found this repousse necklace by her. The rose links, very reminiscent of the classic “Rosas de Mexico” that often adorn cuffs by Sanborn’s and Maciel, are at the same...

Habitually referred to as the “Spratling of Peru”, Italian-born Graziella Laffi spearheaded Peru’s own Silver Renaissance in the 1950s. Based on ingenious re-interpretations of ancient Inca motifs, her jewelry, decorative objects and holloware are avidly sought after by committed collectors for their impeccable craftsmanship and inspired design. The set of figural earrings presented here, wrought in sterling silver with overlay and hand-etched details, is a small work of wearable art that...

A rare hand wrought modernist link bracelet and matching earrings in Sterling Silver by the well respected jewelry teacher and author, Philip Morton. He is the author of the book "Contemporary Jewelry" where he demonstrates jewelry making techniques and highlights talented and noteworthy artisans. He helped found the Society of North American Goldsmiths in 1968.

Bracelet measures 7 1/4" long and 5/8" at the widest. Hook closure fastens securely. Links are connected with wires ending in s...

These Antonio Pineda earrings have a silver wave design with emerald cut amethysts. Bearing the "Silver by Tono" hallmark which was used 1948-1953, this deco design is rarely seen. Each earring features four channel set amethyst gemstones, all well matched in color. The repoussé silver settings require the most skilled of silversmiths. Exquisitely crafted and oh so elegant. Measures 1" x 7/8". Signed and hallmarked "Silver by Tono", "Made in Mexico", with the eagle assay 17. Weight ...

Fortuno Mota, a talented Taxco maestro who in the 1950s and 1960s produced many of Antonio Pineda’s pieces, signs this stunning set of modernist dangle earrings. Crafted in Antonio’s signature fine .970 alloy, the pair reminds me of slender flutes as they elegantly hang off geometric stations with stone inlay. The inlay and the beads in which the dangles end seem to be made of azur-malachite with the second component responsible for the predominantly green and brown hues. When the set came t...

Symbols of fertility, rebirth, transformation and even immortality snakes and serpents have been favorite jewelry motifs through the centuries and across civilizations. In this Mexican Deco demi signed by the Los Castillo they are formed by silver, copper and brass, their slick bodies coiled around shimmering golden sheen obsidian. This is one of the best examples of the technique I have seen by the Los Castillo - probably because I love snake jewelry. Yet how could I say otherwise? Just look at...

This past year seems to have been a Carmen Beckmann year for One Good Eye Silver. And even though I cannot claim it was because of planning, it has not been entirely out of luck either. One of the few female contributors to Mexico’s 20th c Silver Renaissance that we know of, Beckmann’s jewelry are works of a confident designer, impeccably finished and at her best moments, incredibly creative as well. In the ring presented here I see a marrying of ancient motifs and modernist sensitivity as t...

This pendant is the work of Mexican modernist Salvador Teran. It's a unique design, bold and edgy, with a great deal of depth and dimension.

Measures 3" tall including the bail, 1" wide.

Weight is 46.9 grams including the chain. Pendant alone is 32.1 grams.

Pendant signed and hallmarked "Salvador Sterling Mexico", with the design # 140. The pendant came to me hanging from this sterling silver box link chain, and I don't believe it's original to the piece. It...

This mid-century necklace by Gerardo Lopez is executed in 980 silver.

It's a spectacular piece showcasing the exquisite repoussé craftsmanship that makes this maestro's work so sought after. It's fluid and flexible and lays perfectly on the neck.

Measures a closed, wearable length of 20". The centerpiece is 5 1/8" wide, 4 1/2" tall.

Weight is 108.6 grams.

Signed and hallmarked "Lopez Taxco Hecho en Mexico 980" with the eagle assay 25.

In ...

Offered on consignment................

This mid-century necklace from Antonio Pineda is both spectacular and exceedingly rare.

Composed of twenty-one amethyst bars which are hand-cut and polished, the stones are perfectly matched in color with natural inclusions and quartz marbling. Each amethyst gemstone sits in an L shaped 970 silver panel. The modernist zig zag design creates an absolutely stunning necklace. Collector quality.

Measures a closed, wearable lengt...

Glistening caramel golds and molten browns dominate in this Cecilia Tono Mexican modernist bang ring. This is one of my favorite Taxco collaborations - the jewelry that came out of it slick and inventive with the highest quality of craftsmanship and the best of materials. There is nothing excessive about this ring - except maybe the heftiness of its oxidized setting - yet it immediately attracts the eye and holds the gaze captive with its liquid warmth and its generous width. The ring is a comfo...

A very nice pair of 18K yellow gold baton cufflinks, the batons worked with engraved reeding and each bound in a diagonal slash of gold with a hand-stippled surface. The baton faces are hinged so they can lie tightly against the cuff. The connectors are marked “18K Cherny”.

Origin: America, ca. 1960. Condition: excellent. Size: faces, 7/8” long. Weight: 10.6 gr.

This classic Deco sapphire French cut eternity band, crafted of platinum and rubies, features 26-30 rubies. There is a hallmark inside that reads 10% iridium platinum. The addition of iridium, a hard and rare metal with an extremely high melting point is a good thing, simply means the platinum has an even harder-wearing durability. The band measures a US/Can. 7 and is NOT size-able.

A nice pair of vintage 14K yellow gold rectangular cufflinks, each face engraved in a starburst pattern emanating from a bezel-set round diamond. The diamonds are I/J color, VS2 clarity. The backs are marked 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1950. Condition: excellent. Size: 11/16” x 1/2”. Weight: 7.9 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .06 ct.

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...

Every now and again, I will bump into a piece of Mexican jewelry incorporating an ancient artifact. Be that clay masks, carved little effigies or beads, they are always a treat and a source of great excitement. And when that piece is also signed by one of the big Taxco workshops, like the bracelet at hand, then it’s a real holiday! Out of their “mixed metals” line, this Los Castillo silver, brass and copper hinged bracelet is literally built around an amazing, silky smooth agate bead. Dark...

Offered on consignment............. This mid-century creation from Plateria FarFan is crazy killer gorgeous. The necklace measures 15 1/2", with the centerpiece 4 1/2" wide and 1 9/16" tall. Seven large pendulum shaped amethysts are set in reflective curved silver panels. The matching earrings measure 2 1/8" tall.

It's a magnificent collector quality set, and one rarely seen. This is the necklace to wear when you want to be noticed as it is certain to be the focal point of any o...

Timelessly elegant this vintage Mexican silver Carmen Beckmann ring features a “toi et moi” design with two sparkling color-change sapphires in substantial crown settings. This is a more “demure” Beckmann, if I am allowed the use of the word in this context, reaching for a classic look with clean, lean lines and minimal adornment. It is the two gemstones that take center stage here with their deep burgundy-turn-to-steely-purple color as the light changes while the discreet silver work su...