Margot de Taxco Foliate Berry Bangle | Vintage Sterling Silver | Spring Clamper Bracelet Taxco Mexico

Margot de Taxco Foliate Berry Bangle | Vintage Sterling Silver | Spring Clamper Bracelet Taxco Mexico

This Margot de Taxco bracelet is a true beauty and highly collectible. Seen in "Mexican Silver," by Penny Morrill and Carole Berk, Shiffer Publishing, Ltd., 2007, on page 170, this important bracelet's design is from circa 1948. It is again seen in "William Spratling and the Mexican Silver Renaissance," by Penny Morrill, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. in association with the San Antonio Museaum of Art. Based on the marks, it was likely crafted from 1948 through 1955. The patina enhances the berry and foliate pattern, which has seasoned wonderfully through the years.

This substantial handcrafted clamper spring-hinged bracelet has an inside wearable dimension of approximately 6 1/4", and the band is 3" wide across both sides. Clamper-style bracelets from this era were often worn tight to the skin, often held in place by the slight tension of the hinged spring. This Margo de Taxco design weighs a significant 107.8 grams. This Taxco bracelet is marked Margot de Taxco, 5316, Sterling, and Made in Mexico. It also has an early Mexican assayer's Eagle 16 mark. The bracelet is in excellent condition. It has some scratches on the bracelet's interior and minor wear expected on a piece of its age.

Margot Van Voorhies Carr was a renowned Mexican silversmith from the mid-century Mexican silver renaissance. Margot was the daughter of immigrants who moved to the United States, where she was raised in New Orleans and San Francisco. After an early failed marriage, Margot moved to Mexico City in 1937 and, shortly after that, to Taxco, Mexico. She married a well-known designer from the Mexican silver renaissance, Antonio Castillo, and became a designer in his newly opened silversmith, "Los Castillo." According to the book "Mexican Silver" by Merrill and Berk, Margot worked with other members of Los Castillo to create a unique enameling process called "Champleve."

In 1948, Margot separated from Castillo personally and professionally and started her own taller (silversmith) shop, Margot de Taxco. Her business proliferated and employed numerous designers and enamelists who later also became well-known in their own right.

This bracelet was made in Taxco de Alarcon, often just called Taxco. Taxco is located in the Mexican state of Guerrero, about 100 miles southwest of Mexico City. Taxco is a very old and beautiful city that pre-dates the arrival of the Spanish. Taxco has a long history with silver, as it was mined there at the time of the Aztecs and used even then to create beautiful jewelry with exceptional craftsmanship.

In the 1700s, the local silver mine prospered and developed a thriving economy and a vibrant city with exceptional architecture. Many outstanding silver designers and silversmiths have made Taxco their home. Their designs reflect a mixture of Aztec and other native motifs mixed with mid-20th-century modernism. Among the notables are William Spratling, who is recognized as starting the Mexican silver renaissance, Antonio Pineda, Frederick Davis, Hector Aguilar, Los Castillo, Margot de Taxco, and Ysidro Garcia Pina (Maricela).

Vintage jewelry has been worn and may show signs of wear. Please review the included pictures to examine the piece's condition and dimensions. Unless noted otherwise, all clasps and fasteners are in good working order.

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