The Journey of Mexican Silver Jewelry so Far

Traditional mexican taxco silverjewelry has always been loved and adorned by women from all over the world. However, did you know that the history of these ornaments dates back to more than 300 years?

Well, to give you a closer look at the history, and how this art evolved to give birth to some of the most artistic and creative ornaments for women, I have come up with some useful information on the topic.

So, let us take a sneak peek at the eras of evolution of mexican silver jewelry -

1. The Golden Era till 1948- this was the time between early 20^th century to 1948. All the big names like Margot de Taxco, William Spratling, Los Castillo, Hector Aguilar, Matilde Poula and Fred Davis were given by this era. These years are also referred to as the time for the revival of the art of silversmithing and working with silver. The re-introduction of pre-Colombian motifs and techniques was done during these years, to bring back the legacy that had been lost during the country's colonial period. 

1. From 1948 to 1980 - this was the period when the government had taken the mission to to control the quality and taxing of silver production in the country, and thereby introduced a national system of hallmarking and control as well."Eagle Assay mark" was established by conscious efforts from the government in association with  the National Syndicate of Silversmiths The marks used in this hallmark system reflected that the piece of silver had at-least a purity of 925/1000, or in other words matched sterling quality. Besides this development, silversmiths had developed generic hallmarks to denote maker, place of production, design number, silver content as well.

 

2. The post 1980 Era - this was the time when exponential growth in the demand of Mexican silver bracelets and other adornments was observed. To avoid fraudulent silversmithing, the Mexican Government had started to use a different way of marking silver during this time. This was imperative to preserve the heritage and traditional art of silversmithing in the country. The hallmarking system employed by the government included imprinting the first letter of this person's last name and the number that follows just shows that this was.

This explains it all about the history and evolution of Taxco Sterling Silver Jewelry that has become one of the most appreciated and loved ornamental arts equally by men and women.

Silver Jewelry from Taxco, Mexico

It is no wonder that people from all over the world love Taxco Mexican jewelry. They are crafted in a style that sets them apart from any other silversmithing in the world. In the 1930s William Spratling became the father of Taxco silversmithing and used designs that were pre-Columbian motifs and early ranch life. Spratling used circular discs, balls and straps applied to rope designs and created a whole new industry of jewelry design and form. Spratling also used rosewood, gold and copper to weave unique and highly creative pieces of jewelry.

This same creativity has carried on to modern times where Taxco silversmiths continue the tradition of deep detailing along with handcrafting. Sterling silver pieces form Taxco, Mexico are not carbon copies of one another nor are they made in excess. Each piece is handcrafted and formed out of nearly pure Taxco silver and molded into the pieces you see in high end jewelry stores.

Trading on Spratling’s success, jewelry stores lining the market district of Taxco carry recognizable styles of clean designs and the appreciation of Mexican history. Over 120 employees worked in Spratling’s design studios in the 1940s and descendants of these designers still fashion jewelry pieces that are handcrafted to order. Every piece is signed with the designer’s initials, “Taxco”, and the silver content. This is one sure way of knowing that you are purchasing authentic Taxco sterling silver jewelry.
Geseell Grant -  Geseell@avilasterling.com