Description
Large Vintage Mexican Sterling Silver Pendant Pin Having an old left face eagle mark #28 this is a lovely large vintage Mexican Sterling Silver pendant pin in original, excellent condition. Left face eagle marking used from 1955 to 1960s. Highly detailed and beautifully crafted with fine cut etched work throughout. Size is 2 1/8″” across in diameter. Weight is 17.7 grams. The gentleman and cactus are very crisp, detailed, highly raised in relief, and very noticeable. Pin lock is secure and hidden hand applied bail is thick and strong. No damage or repair. A nice, showy addition for your older Mexican Silver collection.
About Vintage Mexican Silver Jewelry:
Reference: http://www.collectorsweekly.com/fine-jewelry/mexican
Silversmithing has been practiced for centuries in Mexico. In fact, Mexican silversmiths taught the Navajo of the Southwestern United States their trade. But it took an American named William Spratling to see the opportunity to build on this legacy. He did this in 1931, when he established a retail outlet for Mexican jewelry near the silver-mining center of Taxco.
Spratling’s designs borrowed liberally from pre-Columbian motifs found on Mexico’s pyramids and lifted from the 14th-century symbols that fill the Codex Zouche-Nuttal. It was open-source material, if you will. So it shouldn’t be too surprising that as his shop succeeded and imitators sprang up nearby, the designs themselves were appropriated.
Some competitors were actively encouraged. In fact, the Taxco School, as it is known today, was formed largely from former Spratling employees. Examples are the Castillo brothers, Héctor Aguilar, and Antonio Pineda. In addition, Valentin Viadurreta brought a Mexican eye to Art Deco. Naturally, these artisans and their shops became incubators for still more generations of silversmiths.
For those who could not make the trip to Taxco, U.S. stores took the step of importing these popular goods. At one point everyone from fashionable Gump’s in San Francisco to Montgomery Ward in Chicago carried silver jewelry and tableware by Taxco designers.
