Fans of vintage Mexican jewelry created with married metals (metales casados) will want to have a look at an usual Los Castillo necklace offered for sale by a Top-rated eBay seller:
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Photograph: masv29 on eBay
The following is taken from the seller’s description:
This beautiful necklace was all hand crafted. It is composed of twenty nine panels and the central piece. The central piece is made out of several small pieces. The upper part has a round carved green stone set in silver. It has a half silver dome in the front part where a triangular shaped piece is attached. This piece is made with the married metal technique and has several stripes made of brass, copper, silver and iron. From the lower part, nine large drop shaped pieces hung. This piece measures: 3 ¼ X 1 7/8 in. The panels are made of two wire silver circles which have soldered on each side a “U” shaped brass wire and a straight piece of copper wire is soldered in the middle of them. Each one measures: 5/8 X 3/8 in. sizes may slightly vary as all the pieces are handcrafted. All the panels are joined together by silver bands. The clasp is in perfect working condition and is of hook.
For more information and to make an offer:
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MARRIED METALS & GREEN STONE DECO NECKLACE LOS CASTILLO US $1,200.00 Auction Ends: Friday Aug-13-2010 10:03:46 PDT | Watch this Item |
Some really fine pieces of vintage Mexican jewelry by maestros Hector Aguilar, William Spratling, Los Castillo and Victoria are shown in SILVER STRIKE: Vintage Mexican Taxco Silver on the Rise, a recent post in VandM.com’s DesignInTell blog.
In a true case of having a champagne taste and a beer budget, I am madly in love with this Los Castillo gold vermeil bracelet mentioned in the blog:
Photograph: VandM.com
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During World War II metals were in short supply in the USA, and many jewelry companies contracted with Mexican silversmiths to produce jewelry on their behalf. Coro, for many years the world’s largest manufacturer of fashion and costume jewelry, was no exception. In 1942 the company contracted with Hector Aguilar to design and produce jewelry, a relationship that lasted for about seven years.
Vintage Coro silver jewelry from Mexico is sought after by Coro collectors, vintage Mexican jewelry collectors, and, often, those who collect vintage Modernist jewelry.
Photographs and information about Coro and the Coro silver jewelry crafted in Mexico can be found at:
Coro Design Patents and the related Coro Mexico – Unpatented
Coro Costume Jewelry
The Story of Coro
RCJ Jewelry Marks
Silver Jewelry Treasures
Here is a selection of vintage Coro Mexican silver jewelry currently offered for sale (auction or fixed price) on eBay:
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1950s Coro Mexico Sterling Silver Heart Brooch US $8.95 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Sunday Aug-01-2010 23:24:12 PDT | Watch this Item |
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VTG CORO MEXICO SILVER RHINESTONE JEWELRY SET STERLING US $49.99 Auction Ends: Monday Aug-02-2010 6:40:25 PDT | Watch this Item |
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Vintage Silver Pin Deer Fawn Coro Mexico Mexican US $39.99 Auction Ends: Wednesday Aug-18-2010 13:27:22 PDT | Watch this Item |
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Vintage Coro Tulip Bouquet Mexico Mexican Silver Pin US $149.99 Auction Ends: Sunday Aug-22-2010 19:05:03 PDT | Watch this Item |
This is an unusual-looking vintage Mexican silver ring that’s for sale on eBay right now. The Top-rated seller hasn’t been able to identify the mark, and it isn’t in Bille Hougart’s book. Any clues?
Photograph: valerieinva on eBay
The seller writes:
After months and months of research on this rare, estate ring, I give up. This ring is bold and weighs 34 grams of solid sterling silver. I believe the stone is a SMITHSONITE however; I am not certain.
For more photographs and information, click on this link:
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RARE VNTG SMITHSON TAXCO MEXICO STERLING MODERN RING US $249.99 Auction Ends: Thursday Aug-19-2010 23:18:16 PDT | Watch this Item |
It was a pleasant surprise to discover that the Brooklyn Museum has several pieces by William Spratling in its Decorative Arts collection: a bracelet (photo below), a pair of spurs (photo below), a brooch, and an ashtray. The bracelet and the brooch are currently on view in the 4th Floor Special Exhibition Gallery, while the spurs are in the Luce Visible Storage and Study Center (on the 5th Floor, and a pretty amazing resource).
William Spratling (American, 1900-1967). Bracelet, ca. 1935-1940. Silver, 1 1/8 x 7 3/4 in. (2.9 x 19.7 cm).Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. Martin R. and Eve Lebowitz in memory of their parents,Henry and Esther Lebowitz, 2006.7.2. Creative Commons-BY-NC
The Museum provides the following information about Spratling:
Although one of the twentieth century’s most prolific creators of handmade jewelry, William Spratling stood consciously outside the modernist movement thatt flourished during his career. Trained as an architect, he was introduced to the idea of jewelry making during sojourns in Mexico beginning in 1926. In 1929 he moved to Taxco, Mexico, the site of centuries-old silver mines, and set up a company of local artisans to revive the art of silver hollowware and jewelry. His designs were inspired primarily by pre-Columbian motifs. This venture became an enormous success, especially during World War II and immediately after when department stores in the United States were cut off from European suppliers of luxury goods. Unfortunately, Spratling lost control of his company to other investors, and by 1946 Spratling y Artesanos was out of business. Thanks to his apprenticeship system, however, his legacy continues in Mexico today.
William Spratling (American, 1900-1967). Pair of Spurs, before 1952. Silver, 8 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (21.6 x 8.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Collection Fund and the Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 52.166.22. Creative Commons-BY-NC
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Matilde Eugenia Poulat, whose trademark was “matl” (Bille Hougart notes that matl is a variation of the Aztec word for water) created intricate designs that were recognizably different from most of her contemporaries. The design of these vintage silver and coral sun earrings is – for Poulat – relatively simple, but brilliant nonetheless.
