Mexican Deco silver and amethyst Cuff Bracelet

Good early Mexican Deco silver repousse jewelry is becoming harder to find – I don’t know if it’s because there weren’t that many to begin with (quite often repoussage from that period seems a little clumsy, the technique needing additional experimenting with) or that at some point their popularity grew so much that they were “scooped up” from the market. Whatever the case, I am thrilled to be presenting this fantastic cuff bracelet with two saturated purple amethyst cabs here. I would call this cuff a “transitional” piece with its two “arms” holding close to the traditional cut-work and hand-chasing on flat pieces of silver sheet while the central station with its scrolls and foliate motifs going all the way to full-blown repousse work. We habitually attribute early Mexican jewelry marked “MEXICO SILVER” to Mexico City maestros but this cuff, at least to my eyes, presages the rise of the Taxco talleres…

Size/Weight: 7″ inner circumference (including the 1″ gap; not adjustable unless you have a good jeweler do it for you); width between 1 3/8″ and just shy of 3/4″; 45.3 grams

Hallmarks / Date: “SILVER MEXICO” in a tiny little hallmark; pre-1948

Condition: excellent vintage with great design, an interesting combination of motifs, richly colored cabs and warmly glowing patina

Inv.#15046