Vintage Taxco Sterling Bracelet Abalone Inlay Stamped Taxco retailer Mexico As Is Sale

Stamped Taxco Mexico Sterling Bracelet Abalone Inlay Sold As Is Condition Wearable

ITEM: This signed Taxco, Mexico bracelet is a classic in its design. Executed in sterling silver, the panels are inlaid with abalone shell, adding iridescent pops of color, shimmer and sheen. Each panel features incised line work with aztec influenced stylings, cut away portions and the shell inlay. The four panel bracelet has a slide box clasp with button to press and slide the tongue into place. Taxco jewelry is considered to be collectible not only because of the designs or designers. Its as much about the unique quality of the silver itself as it is a specific design or maker. Not to underplay the value of a piece marked Margot or Spratling of course! Those better known names will always carry a premium. But for the beginner collector, these unnamed pieces can be a great entry into that world as you build, trade and upgrade. But the silver itself has a quality about it that is hard to miss once familiar, there's a warmth of luster to good Mexican silver and Taxco happened to be the mecca for makers. It can be hard to accurately date Taxco pieces due to the assay regional marks employed. A stamp that looks like an eagle was employed for a time. But not always and not earlier or indeed, later. After the dropping of that eagle mark, they went for an alpha numeric code to mark pieces. To further confuse is the fact that very early pieces have the more phonetic Tasco instead of Taxco stamped upon it. This piece has neither the eagle mark, nor alpha numeric. It is twice stamped: Sterling, 0925 (925 is sterling) Taxco and again on the clasp; Hecho en Mexico. The piece has a good deal of age behind it, I just can't say a date with any certainty. Because it was already a vintage piece when purchased as a gift for a friend, my guess is 1960s - but it really is a best guess. Please read condition report for more information. Thank you!

SIZE: This lovely lady is 7 1/2” end to end with no way to expand, so measure twice! Each panel is 1 1/2” wide.

WEIGHT: A solid bracelet with some heft, she weighs in at about 44.4 grams by my scale.

CONDITION: In good, wearable condition; showing some signs of wear from age. This bracelet was dark grey when she arrived. Years and years of tarnish with only a hint of the abalone shining through. I generally leave silver as found until a buyer instructs me to polish or leave as found. But in this case, where the true beauty is marred by tarnish, I took an executive decision to use a charged cloth to take the tarnish down, while retaining the patine or luster of the surface. A soft bristle toothbrush, dampened not wet, to clean the dirt from the shell inlay. The result is astonishing! I would not have credited it as being this retailer pretty under all that muck. So I don't feel too bad about it. We can now see her in all her aged beauty. That silver has all the warmth and luster we who adore Taxco jewelry look for. No breaks, dings, bends or dents. Panels are well attached. I have no issue with the silver at all. There are two reasons for my note regarding “as is” condition; first is that on one inlaid portion, a tiny piece of abalone has come out and been lost to the ages. All of the abalone inlay shows some crazing but apart from that one tiny tip, second panel from the tongue like slide, right side, I see no other areas of loss. The other reason has to do with the fact that those who gifted the bracelet, signed it! Using one of those ubiquitous diamond engraver pens of the 80s, when folks started to mark pieces in their collections for insurance purposes and against theft, they forwent a card and signed the piece itself. So in addition to the makers marks, there are three signatures and the date gifted (1988). All unseen when wearing the piece, but there and so in full disclosure, noted. The clasp is intact and functional and overall, despite a couple of bumps and bruises, she is a vintage piece after all, this is a beautiful example of Taxco sterling jewelry, at a very reasonable price. Use your zoom feature to view all photos (particularly well seen in second photo) and decide whether it meets your standards as our ratings may differ. Cheers!

Ref.#Leor