Antique Vintage Deco Mid Century Sterling Silver TAXCO Puffy Star Earrings 16.9g

  

We have similar Mid Century, Taxco, and Puffy items, which would pair nicely with this piece, for sale this week. Listing Description by: Angela A.

Markings : Unidentified maker's mark (appears to be "CTTYM") and "Mexico 925" on the back of the earrings, tested, and guaranteed. Gram Weight : 16.9 grams.

Depth: 0.70 (including backings). Earring Backing Style : Posts with rubber stopper backings. Your jeweler can easily convert these to the preferred backing style you desire. For Pierced or Non-Pierced Ears : Pierced. These earrings were handmade in the Mid Century era by a skilled Taxco silversmith in Mexico.

These earring are hollow pieces of rare puffy jewelry, created using the repousse metalworking technique. Each earring features two round motifs with cut-out star and moon motifs. The lower round motif dangles from chain links attached to the upper round motifs, providing eye-catching swaying motifs. The sterling silver is polished and reflective for beautiful shine when worn. Completed with post backings and rubber stoppers for wear on pierced or unpierced ears.

The sterling silver is lightly tarnished in some areas, giving the earrings a lovely antique quality. The price of this item has been reduced to reflect this. This listing is for the item only. The Mid-Century era, 1935 to 1965, encompassed many new styles of art and architecture and this carried over to jewelry making. This exciting time for jewelry saw movements such as Hollywood Regency, Modernism, Brutalism, and the Atomic Age. Native American artisans were also making their mark in the jewelry industry. Artisans used many kinds of metals, gemstones, glass, and experimented with ceramic and wood as well. This era was filled with new and innovative designs, while also rejuvenating and reinventing older styles.

The unique jewelry which emerged from this era is still very popular today. Taxco, Mexico is famous for producing the finest sterling silver jewelry in the world. Taxco has a rich history of silver-making, with the Aztecs being the first to mine and craft sterling silver for adornment and ceremony. In the 1920s, an American artist named William Spratling moved to Taxco. Being inspired by pre-Columbian and Aztec art, Spratling built a successful jewelry business.

Many local aspiring artisans started apprenticing under him, and he eventually developed an apprenticeship program, with many famous silversmiths having learned there. The Taxco tradition of silversmithing is still carried on by the local artisan community today.

Puffy jewelry is a name given to hollow repousse pieces, typically little heart charms. Puffy hearts came into fashion in the late 1800s and were popular until the 1950s.

Today, puffy jewelry is highly sought after, but very rare to find because they were difficult to make in the first place and were easily damaged due to their hollow cores. Repoussé began as an ancient metalworking technique dating as far back as the 3rd century BC, involving malleable metal that was hammered onto the reverse side to create an image on the front. Examples are found all over the world; Greece, Egypt, and even the Hopewell periods in the American southeast.

Reverse side hammering was also used to add detail to the front, creating intricate patterns using grooves, indentations, and channeling. The piece was then carefully polished to create a hollow, eye-catching treasure.

The item "Antique Vintage Deco Mid Century Sterling Silver TAXCO Puffy Star Earrings 16.9g" is in sale since Saturday, January 23, 2021. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Vintage & Antique Jewelry\Earrings". The seller is "abeautifultimeco" and is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Modified Item: No
• Country/Region of Manufacture: Mexico
• Style: Drop/Dangle
• Ethnic Origin: Mexican
• Metal Purity: .925
• Main Stone: No Stone
• Brand: Taxco
• Metal: Sterling Silver
• Jewelry Department: Fine