Chunky and heavy bronze cocktail ring with an offset pearl. Size 8. Measures approx: 1" across with the sides of the ring measuring 3/4". Weighs 23 grams. Unmarked. Excellent vintage condition.
Circa mid-century, this Margot de Taxco ring has exquisite repoussé silver work with scrolls and tiny beading.
This is Margot's design #5337. The face of the ring measures 1 3/8" x 1", with a band that is adjustable. Current size is 9 1/4.
Weight is 19.1 grams.
Hallmarked with the eagle assay 16 and the design # 5337.
Beautiful patina, excellent vintage condition.
Outrageous! These earrings speak for themselves. To be worn by one who likes being bold and dramatic. All prong set stones, silvertone backing. Clips are stamped KJL. Top to bottom 4 1/2", side to side 2 1/2".
Great carved Bakelite fish with painted eye and lucite fin. Thick and heavy for its size. 3 1/8" wide, 3 1/8" high.
This pin from Los Castillo dates 1940-1945. It's an early piece, likely designed by Margot van Voorhies Carr while she was married to Antonio Castillo. It's a beautiful repoussé sterling silver pin with an oval amethyst cabochon surrounded by tiny silver beading. A floral design with exquisite detailing, this pin measures 3 1/16" wide, 1 1/2" tall. Weight is 24.8 grams. Signed and hallmarked "Los Castillo Taxco Sterling Made in Mexico", with the early design number 100...
Authentic David Andersen silver enamel sea horse pin with 3 shades of enamel-- light purple, lilac, and deep purple. Hallmarked on back (see photo). Enamel work with basse taille flower detail visible underneath enamel. Length is approx 2.25 inches long, 1.4 inches wide. All enamel intact, excellent condition.
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...
Confident in his prowess as a warrior and comfortable in his ceremonial attire this Margot de Taxco silver and enamel Aztec figure can be enjoyed both as a brooch as well as a pendant. Though experimentation with the art of enameling started while Margot was still part of the Los Castillo workshop, it was after her divorce with Antonio that she focused on perfecting it in her own, independent taller. And perfect it she did...
Beautiful antique Edwardian long drop screwback earrings in sterling silver and 10KT white gold with paste rhinestones. Circa 1910. With paste rhinestones in closed settings, and one unfoiled stone on the center drop of each earring in an openback setting. The stones are held with tiny prongs. Marked STERLING with an illegible maker's mark, and also marked 10KT on the backs of the screwbacks...
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...
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”) in 1889...
Fabulous early signed Kenneth J. Lane clip drop earrings in dark goldtone metal with marquise green poured glass stones and rhinestones, with three strands. All stones are prong set. Late 1960s, with the early mark K.J.L., with a period after each initial. 3 1/2 inches long. Excellent condition. Photos enlarged to show detail.
A nice Art Deco 14K white gold bar link chain. The bars alternate with groups of three round links. The bars reflect light, so the chain has a pleasant shimmer. The clasp is marked "14K".
- Origin: America, ca. 1925
- Condition: excellent
- Length: 21-3/4"
- Weight: 3.1 grams
Large and beautifully crafted Navajo Silver and Turquoise ring, size 8 3/4", measuring 1 3/4" long and 1" wide, and 1 1/4" high from base of band to top of stone.
The stone has a lovely caramel and brown matrix, with a deep turquoise green tone.
It is signed "sterling" and has a maker's mark that is not clear.
From a collection of good Navajo jewelry, most pre 1980s.
In good condition, some wear and slight tarnist visible to silver, but the stone is in perfect condition, nicely polished and ...
Possibly the most "surrealist" early Mexican Deco "mask" brooch I have ever had, this piece is the source of so many questions for me. What is it exactly that it depicts with its "portrait" surrounded by an elaborate headdress, the two arms emanating right from its top with no actual body present? And what is the "mask" itself made of? It registers as a stone in my gem-tester but I am not sure if it is onyx or a different type of opaque, black stone...
One of my favorite "less celebrated" Taxco maestros, Gerardo Lopez has been steadily gaining in popularity among collectors of vintage Mexican silver jewelry. I suspect that he worked for the Los Castillo and / or Margot de Taxco before he started his own taller as his creations are often reminiscent of designs issued by both famous workshops. Lopez's repoussage is masterful and the finishing on his jewelry impeccable...
In the style associated with Matilde Poulat the Mexican Deco sterling silver brooch presented here is big, bold and beautiful! Wrought en repoussage and embellished with hand-chasing feathers and beads surround three gorgeous turquoise cabochons in shades of blue and green. The brooch is open-backed like many of Matl’s early pieces and a pleasure to wear and to behold. It measures
2 3/4” wide by 1 7/8” tall and weighs 17.8 grams...
Wonderful French 18K gold stickpin in the form of a dragon. The detail is incredible. Raised up on his hind legs, with his wings unfurled, the dragon is exhaling tongues of flame. His tail is curled around several times before circling completely around the body to form the circular outline of the stickpin's head. The texture of the feathery wings and scaly body is superb. The back is marked with French hallmarks for 18K gold and an unidentified maker's mark.
Origin: France, ca. 1860...
Bearing the signature of Pedro Castillo this bracelet is, for me, a fusion of classic Taxco "arhaeological" as well as modernist elements. The overlay is immaculately crafted - one would never expect less from a Castillo - and the design lends itself to several readings...
A graduate of the Parson's School of Design in Paris, Erika Hult de Corral is one of my favorite modernist designers and silversmiths in the context of Mexican silver jewelry. Spanning a few decades, her work is unfailingly of the highest quality with attention paid not only to materials but also to finishing and, of course, imaginative design. The ring presented here, wrought in sterling and centered by a scrumptious tiger's eye stone, can also be found with Enrique Ledesma's signature. Since ...
Stinn Modernist sterling silver abstract necklace
Pendant - 2" x 1"
Chain measures 17" when outstretched
Marked Stinn, sterling
Excellent vintage condition
Slender, elongated, hand-wrought fine silver feathers that end in a playful curl make up this set of "swan wing" modernist earrings by Antonio Pineda. I have to admit that this is one of the most unexpected Antonio creations I have ever encountered. When I first saw it, I thought that the clip-ons would have to surely be a later replacement yet I have since seen a similar pair and that one too had the same findings. Now these are earrings for those not afraid to ... spread their wings and reach ...
A classic combination for Enrique Ledesma, the marrying of sterling and stone, makes this vintage Mexican bracelet an easily recognizable creation by the renowned Taxco modernist. The stone is here azur-malachite, I believe, with greens and browns predominant and the warmth of the silver casings adds a certain "inner glow" to it. The bracelet offers a glimpse of its life story in an inscription on the back of one link - romantic and rare yet if you would rather have it removed, it can be easily ...
A beautiful pair of Earrings by the famous Matilde Poulat who signed her work MATL. They feature her ornate silver work set with Coral cabochon stones in a swirl design. They measure 1 3/8" long by 5/8" wide and weigh 10.4 grams. In good condition with the typical screw backs. Hallmarked on one earring "MATL". These are a gorgeous pair of earrings by a important artist.
Bird doll motif. Pre assay era Made in Mexico bird pin brooch. Early - tested at least sterling - colossal 4 3/4" north to south with 2 turquoise beads. This figural exhibits flowers in the style of Fred Davis or Matilde Poulat. Repousse and chase workmanship.
The native peoples were known to make dolls representing the local animals for their children to play. Today those same children are being taught the value in Nature Tourism.
This Quetzal bird parrot pin is stamped: SILVER...
A pretty 10K yellow and rose gold half-hoop wedding band, the front decorated with finely engraved roses. The flower petals are worked in rose gold for added contrast and the entire design is recessed to prevent wear to the carving. The interior of the shank is marked "10K" and also has an unidentified maker's mark.
- Origin: America, ca. 1950
- Condition:excellent
- Dimensions: 7/32" wide tapering to 1/8" at the back
- Finger Size: 7-1/4
- Weight: 2.9 grams
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...
Circa mid-century, this ring was produced by Antonio Pineda.
It's a thick and substantial ring, with a superb modernist twist design. Hand-wrought with 970 silver, the center design appears to be gold plating over brass, providing a gorgeous contrast.
Measures a size 7 3/4, but a jeweler can easily adjust the size slightly smaller or larger.
Weight is 11.8 grams.
Signed and hallmarked with the Antonio Taxco crown, the eagle assay 17, 970, and Hecho en Mexico Silver.
In excellent v...
Straddling the divide between Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts design, this hinged sterling silver buckle bracelet was, I believe, made in the USA based on its hallmarking. The entire surface of the front "wing" is etched with ivy leaves, a motif beloved by the Victorians it seems, while the back is left blank, as is usually the case with bracelets of this type. I love the curve of the buckle's prong that brings to mind avian talons and the way the end of the silver "belt" rises slightly beyond the...
These mid-century earrings from Antonio Pineda are large and unusual. The primitive hunter design is said to have been based on the Lascaux cave drawings, used on several of his pieces. I have the matching bracelet in my shop.
These dangle earrings are quite substantial, measuring 2" top to bottom, with a width of 1 7/16".
Weight is 28.5 grams. Screwbacks work perfectly.
Signed and hallmarked with the Antonio Taxco crown, 970, Hecho en Mexico, and the eagle assay 17.
In excellent vin...
This brooch by Matilde Poulat features a large amethyst front and center, with turquoise cabochons and coral branches in a butterfly design with dangles.
Measures 2" tall x 1 1/2" wide. Pin closes with a rolling "C" clasp.
Weight is 11.8 grams.
Signed and hallmarked "Matl Mexico 925", with the eagle assay 129. Dates to pre-1960.
Early pre-eagle large bracelet with a lacy flower form pattern. Circa 1940. Marked STERLING 925 TAXCO. With a darkened aged finish. It weighs 59
grams. This piece and most of the other Mexican silver I have listed came from one long time collector's estate. 4 inches wide in the front and with a
wearable length (when the edges meet) of 7 inches. Excellent condition. No dents. Photos enlarged to show detail. Display form is life size.
A fine 14K yellow gold griffin stickpin by Riker. The eye is set with a bright faceted ruby and the claw grasps an old European cut diamond. As with all Riker pieces, the gemstones are of excellent quality. This stick pin could be worn as is, or converted to a ring or necklace charm. The reverse is stamped with Riker's hallmark.
- America, circa 1880
- Head, 5/8" x 1/2"; overall length, 2-1/2"
- 1.8 grams
- Approximate diamond weight: .05 carat
A nice pair of mid-century Mexican sterling silver cufflinks, the triangular faces set with amethysts carved to depict an ancient Aztec mask. The style of carving suggests either Abraham Paz or Fred Davis as the likely maker. The backs are marked "Plata Sterling 925".
Origin: Mexico, ca. 1950. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: faces, 11/16" x 11/16". Weight: 8.1 gr.
Circa mid-century, this Los Castillo pin is a spectacular work of wearable art, and features one of their most iconic designs.
It's a multi-dimensional piece with superb repoussé silver work, highly detailed, and absolutely collector quality.
Measures 3 1/4" x 2". Pin closes with a roller.
Weight is a very substantial 30.8 grams.
Signed and hallmarked with the early linear mark "Los Castillo Taxco Sterling Made in Mexico", along with the design ...
A chic Victorian egg pendant of black onyx accented with 14K yellow gold Gothic-style strapwork set with natural seed pearls. The pearls, though small, have particularly nice luster. The simple decoration and strong color contrast makes this a very elegant piece to be worn as a single pendant or as a group of necklace charms. Tested and guaranteed 14K.
Origin: America, ca. 1865. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 5/8" x 15/16".