Ingrid's Mexican retro silver, amethyst and coral carp fish Brooch

Known for their high quality of holloware primarily, Ingrid's remains even today one of those elusive actors in the story of Mexico's 20th c. Silver Renaissance. Active in the 1930s and 1940s, as Bille Hougart reports, this retailer seems to have been the venue through which well-known maestros like Chato Castillo sold some of their creations. Based on my experience I can say that jewelry bearing their signature is not very often encountered but when it pops up, it is always on big, bold and beautiful pieces. The huge carp fish repousse brooch presented here most amply illustrates the point. Fleshy repoussage, deeply chased details to denote the fish's scales, characteristic "pouty" mouth and glorious tail; richly colored amethyst as fins and that dramatic flat coral bead pinpointing the eye - what is there here not to fall in love with? Let me just finish by saying that the brooch is in fact a belt buckle conversion as is obvious from the findings on the back - and what a smashing success that conversion is...

Size / Weight: 3 5/8" long by 2 3/8" tall; 43.2 grams

Hallmarks / Date: "INGRID'S SILVER"; 1930s-40s

Condition: excellent vintage, stunning to look at and a pleasure to wear, with beautifully crafted repoussage, attention to every single detail, gorgeous stones and fantastic patina; no damage and no repairs noted - except, of course, of the conversion which is mentioned above

Inv# 15132