Innovative Taxco Silver Cuff, Called Infinite

One of the most airy and beautiful bracelet cuffs from Taxco is the Infinite cuff bracelet with its different and unique silver threads all woven together to create a very exclusive piece that looks insubstantial, but is really very sturdy. The thin bars of silver are woven and worked into a frame of sterling silver and the style itself is open for ease of wearing. The finish is highly polished sterling silver and the artist’s mark is included on the piece.

This cuff bracelet weights a total of 48 grams or 106 ounces and sits on your wrist or forearm with grace and a sense of lightness. The decorative spheres that float on this piece are totally movable and can be placed anywhere on the bracelet that you desire. Set them all in a row, or make a design unique to you. The bracelet is two inches wide and includes a circumference of seven and a half inches. Shiny, gorgeous, and made from Taxco sterling silver, whatever way you choose the wear this cuff bracelet you will find that friends and acquaintances will admire your impressive arm piece.

Designed in Taxco silver and handcrafted by Mexican artisans who were highly inspired by Hector Aquilar. Aquilar was one of the greatest silversmiths in the world and his home town of Taxco continues his legacy. Aquiliar’s molds for cuff bracelets are still used by many artisans, yet the pieces are made by hand which brands every single bracelet unique. There are no two jewelry pieces exactly alike.

History of Taxco Silver

Taxco has always had a reputation of fine silver mining and craftsmanship, and the visits of William Spratling to Taxco in 1926 thought 1928 provided Spratling with the inspiration to open a shop that employed weavers, copper and tin smiths and silversmiths. Thousands of tons of silver had been sent from Taxco to the old world for many centuries and now Spratling had the inspiration to make silver jewelry in Taxco, sell it, and bring the money back to Mexico.

As the popularity of Taxco sterling silver jewelry increased, Spratling developed a system of apprenticeship in silversmithing. Those who showed the most promise worked under the direction of highly artistic silversmiths. Most of these highly expert craftsmen later opened their own shops and still credit their expertise to William Spratling and his apprentice system. Look for William Spratling inspired cuff bracelets that use indigenous semi-precious stones such as amethyst and turquoise to compliment the silver designs. You can also find semi-precious stones of chalcedony, coral and obsidian and some tortoise shell in the design of cuff bracelets and other jewelry pieces inspired by Spratling. The molds and styles of Spratling are still used in Taxco silver strong and handsome cuff bracelets. Spratling’s use of mythical animals as well as ancient Aztec and Incan designs have made Taxco silver jewelry some of the most popular and collectible jewelry items in the world.
Geseell Grant -  Geseell@avilasterling.com

Taxco Oxidized Silver Cuff with Baroque Style

This is a very stunning cuff bracelet that is handcrafted then oxidized and raised embellishment polished. The workmanship is of high caliber and once you see the eclectic styling you will want this cuff in your jewelry collection. Every piece is guaranteed to be unique and warranted to be handcrafted; this makes it one of a kind.

To craft this cuff bracelet silversmiths use an overlaid embellishment technique. The first silver surface is oxidized using sulfur solutions and the ornamentation is then crafted in a lighter shade of silver that may or may not be oxidized. Overlay makes the silver color of the embellishments stand out. The curves and spheres in this overlaid design give this cuff bracelet intriguing elements that will go well with any wardrobe style. Unusually crafted with a large center piece, the bracelet tapers and the cuff style itself is open for ease of wearing on any size wrist.

You can always order this silver cuff bracelet with a smaller or larger inside circumference to fit your arm and wrist. As a note, the oxidized silver cuff bracelet is two and one eighth inches wide at the centerpiece and has an inside circumference of seven inches. The interior of the bracelet is silver rubbed to a high sheen and a smooth texture.

Oxidation

Taxco, Mexico is the heart of Mexican silver jewelry crafting, silver mining, and tourists looking for silver bargains. Tourism is the main economic activity in Taxco, Mexico and tourists come to purchase silver, travel though the surrounding countryside and view the colonial construction that is still standing.

Silversmithing was invigorated in Taxco by American William Spratling who came to Taxco in the 1920s and hired artisans, craftsmen, and created a huge silver jewelry making industry.
Sterling silver jewelry is highly popular in Taxco shops, and oxidized silver is often used to describe sterling silver pieces that are treated to make these pieces look aged and old. Oxidizing sterling silver causes the silver itself to end up with a dark patina that consists of a thin layer of silver oxide.

Sterling silver jewelry is originally shiny in color, but many people prefer the dark and smoky color of oxidized silver. Oxidized silver can range in color from light gray to solid black, and when you polish oxidized silver the raised surface actually becomes shiny while the recessed surfaces retain their dark color. This creates an interesting variegated effect.

To form a piece that is oxidized, you need to expose silver or sterling silver to sulfur. Many craftsmen use sulfur potash to oxidize their silver jewelry. Potash which is also listed as “liver of sulfur” is mixed with water, then the silver piece is put into the sulfur mixture for a set amount of time until it reaches the a level of dark that is desirable. The jewelry piece is then taken out, rinsed and polished.

Geseell Grant -  Geseell@avilasterling.com