Los Ballesteros Mexican silver tiger's eye Cleopatra "mask" Bolo Tie

With delicately carved features, this silver and tiger’s eye Egyptian Revival “Cleopatra” bolo tie is a small work of art that came out of the Los Ballesteros workshop. One of the best - and definitely the most persistent - Taxco talleres involved in the creation of exquisite “mask” jewelry, the Los Ballesteros used an array of semi-precious and hard- stones to create serene, out-of-this-world effigies for brooches, rings, bracelets and pendants. This is, however, my first bolo tie by them in a version of their “Cleopatra”portraits that not only wears a snake head-piece but snake dangling earrings as well…

Size / Weight: 2 1/4” tall buy just shy of 2” wide; 45.3 grams

Hallmarks / Date: signed with the workshop’s logo as shown as well as “STERLING 925” alongside Eagle 42 assay mark; 1950s-60s

Condition: very good vintage with smooth, careful carving that created supple, tactile surfaces, substantial silver-work, great patina and no repairs noted; as you can see, there is a hairline in the stone “mask” that begins in the left cheekbone (as one faces the brooch), travels upwards and under the snake headpiece to wither away on the other side of it; I suspect that this was initially a natural fissure in the stone and doubt it goes all the way through to the back of it - the stone is very stable with no sign of movement and I find it adds character rather than take away from the ancient queen’s beauty; the leather woven cord “tie” itself is missing but the findings are on the back so it could replace it with a new one; or, alternatively and easily, this piece can be converted into a pin / pendant and enjoyed as such (if interested, please ask)

Inv# 15386