Does it make you laugh? Cry? Who gave you the piece, and what did they tell you about it? Whatever the details, The WGBH Lab, in partnership with PBS’s own Antiques Roadshow, wants to see your item and hear its story.

Showcase your piece in an original home movie or creative short film, no longer than 2 minutes. Be unique, and fun with your antique and its story. We want your video to dazzle our audience, and us as well. Your reward? – How about a pair of tickets to a live taping of Antiques Roadshow this summer?

From now, until the end of May, we will be awarding 3 video submissions with a pair of VIP tickets to attend a live taping of an Antiques Roadshow appraisal event.

Additionally, your video could be chosen by Antiques Roadshow for national broadcast at a later date, to be featured on their website, or chosen as a stand alone video short to be aired on PBS stations nationwide!

Read more here.

If you simply want to attend a taping of Antiques Roadshow you can enter a drawing for free tickets to any of this year’s six summer stops (San Diego 6/12, Billings 6/26, Miami Beach 7/10, Biloxi 7/24, Des Moines 8/7, Washington, D.C. 8/21). Apply by April 19, 2010.

(A suite consisting of a necklace, pendant, pin, earrings and bracelet by Margot de Taxco and was appraised in a 2005 episode of Antiques Roadshow. Watch it here.)

See larger image Antiques Roadshow Collectibles: The Complete Guide to Collecting 20th Century Glassware, Costume Jewelry, Memorabila, Toys and More From the Most-Watched Show on PBS (Paperback) By (author) Carol Prisant List Price: $19.95 USD New From: $10.53 In Stock Used from: $3.93 In Stock

Want to be on Antiques Roadshow? originally appeared on Vintage Mexican Silver on February 6, 2010. Turn to Vintage Mexican Silver for the latest news about auctions and dealers in vintage Mexican silver jewelry and silverware, including mid-century modern and modernist design, William Spratling, Margot de Taxco, Los Castillo, Sigi and Antonio Pineda, Matl, Hector Aguilar, and other famous Mexican silver designers.

However, while searching for the Matl jewelry, I came across an appraisal I hadn’t seen before:  Taxco Silver Necklace & Bracelet, ca. 1950 Appraised Value:$1,500 – $2,000. The episode is from 2004, so I think it’s likely that the value would be higher if an appraisal were done now.  The owner paid just $3.00 total for the two pieces – talk about a return on investment!

The appraiser says that the jewelry is by Lopez, but doesn’t provide the first name. It’s hard to see the marks in the video, but I think these pieces must have been created by Gerardo Lopez (not the only Lopez who made silver jewelry). As noted in The Little Book of Mexican Silver Trade and Hallmarks By Bille Hougart, Lopez was a maestro silversmith in Taxco who worked primarily in silver. I’ve read that Lopez and his shop were highly regarded, and the Lopez jewelry I’ve seen is excellent.

As I write, just three lovelyLopez  jewelry creations are offered for sale on eBay. Click on a link if you want to learn more about them.

Vintage Lopez Taxco silver necklace 

Vintage Lopez Taxco 980 silver earrings

Vintage Lopez Taxco sterling silver earrings

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Looking for Matl, found Gerardo Lopez instead originally appeared on Vintage Mexican Silver on September 17, 2009. Turn to Vintage Mexican Silver for the latest news about auctions and dealers in vintage Mexican silver jewelry and silverware, including mid-century modern and modernist design, William Spratling, Margot de Taxco, Los Castillo, Sigi and Antonio Pineda, Matl, Hector Aguilar, and other famous Mexican silver designers.