Mexican Pride Diary

Taxco Sterling Silver jewelry is seen by many as the best in the line of silver jewelry as it is not only exquisitely beautiful but is also affordable. Whether it is a private collector, a museum or just a jewelry lover looking for that special gift for the special person in his life, these vintage earrings, chokers and pendants offer something to all.

The trend for Taxco jewelry goes back to the early 1930s with its origins having been traced back as far as the Aztec and Maya civilizations. The main influence in designs is taken from the Spanish colonization of Mexico.
The period between 1930s to 1950s is seen as the Renaissance of silver jewelry in Mexico. The designs are a combination of vintage and modern elements. Most believe that an American architect from a university in New Orleans, William Spratling, was the creator of this movement. It was his taller the Las Delicias or as is more commonly known as the Workshop of Delights, that produced not only unique vintage silver jewelry but also trained such famous designers as Hector Aguilar, Salvador Teran, Antonio Pineda and Rafael Melendez. Nowadays, jewelry made or works that had been made by these talented Silver jewelry designers is sought far and wide at exuberant prices going well into the thousands of dollars.

After their apprenticeship at Las Delicias Taller, these silver jewelry master designers moved on to open their own workshops and introduce their own style mixed with that of Spratling. Here is a look at the design features of a few:

- Hector Aguilar: Aguilar based most of his designs on the Pre-Columbian sculptures along with paintings and imprints from the ancient Aztecs and Maya civilizations. His jewelry was often made with a combination of copper and silver which made it appealing and wearable for both men and women. He was also quite experimental in his designs using metals like blued steel and creating pieces with onyx that were encrusted with silver.

- Antonio Pineda: Pineda became probably the most famous of these Mexican silver jewelry masters. He incorporated modernism into his designs more tan others. Of course, like the others he started off under the influence of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations but as time progressed a note of sparseness and simplicity started to manifest itself in his creations. You can see an example of this in his bracelet with amethysts that are attached to ‘bullet-like’ forms depicting the influence of the Second World War. This legendary artist still lives and his designs are still as popular as ever.

- Margot Van Voorhies Carr: She was a part of the Castillo family who opened their own workshops after learning the craft from Spratling. Margot left Los Castillo Taller, the workshop started by her family, and started working in her own studio. Greatly influenced by the Japanese art and the movement for Art Deco, she created a niche for herself among the growing brand of silver jewelry designers from the Golden era in Taxco, Mexico. The invention of the hands-on, silver over enamel technique made her designs stand-out on their own.

Even now, Mexican silver jewelry silversmiths and designers are greatly influenced by the works of William Spratling and his apprentices.