Description
Likely made for Southwestern trade this is a vintage late mid century, 1970s to 1980s Mexican sterling silver floating dangle pendant with a blend of traditional textures, ball design and rectangular with circular geometric styling. All handmade. Old store display and still holds all of its original, bright shiny finish. Marked Mexico, 925 and ATI maker mark. See confirmation of original, date and maker below. The round tubular bail allows the pendant to float freely on the necklace chain. It is thick, heavy strong and very well overall. Should hold a 3mm to near 4mm chain. Having a 3/16″ depth the 2 dimensional rectangle is well raised and very showy amid the other geometric shapes forming the background. Size is 1 3/8″ north to south including the bail by 1/2″ wide across the rectangular body east to west. Overall condition is excellent. No damage or repair. No dents or dings or tears to the sterling silver. No scratches. Very gently used for display only. This is a lovely showy vintage handmade Mid Century Mexican Silver floater for your vintage silver and Southwestern jewelry collection.
AI Confirmation of Age, Era & Design:
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- Style: The piece features a central polished rectangular canvas framed by a decorative twisted rope edge accent) The bottom is accented by a three-bead cluster (often referred to as grape or granulation accents), giving the piece a classic Southwestern or Mexican modernist look.
- Functionality: It is a floater pendant intended to be worn on a necklace chain via the wide tubular bail at the top, bail for floating.
- The Markings: The back of the piece features a standard three-line vertical stamp configuration:
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- Top: MEXICO (Country of origin)
- Middle: 925 (The international purity mark ensuring the piece is 92.5% pure sterling silver)
- Bottom: ATI
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- The Maker: ATI is a recognized, registry-recorded mid-to-late 20th-century artisan/workshop hallmark originating from the famous silver capital of Taxco, Mexico.
- Era & Timeline:
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- Approximate Date: This piece likely dates from the 1970s to the 1980s.
- Historical Context: In 1979, Mexico introduced a strict letter-and-number registration system (like TL-90 or TC-12) to track specific smiths. Single letter/name combinations like “ATI” alongside a simple geographic “MEXICO” stamp without an “Eagle assay mark” generally fit the transition period of the late 1970s or early 1980s, right around when the old Eagle-stamping system phased out.
