Silver & Coral Mexican Necklace, I Cant Read the Hallmark!

[bigcaddy64]

Silver & Coral Mexican Necklace, I Can't Read the Hallmark!

I got up this morning with plans to hit a handful of sales and ended up landing in a community wide sale that was practically deserted...of shoppers!

I had a run of the place and scored tons of great stuff. From vintage Star Wars action figures, Red Wing boots and a KLH Model 20+ record player in the cabinet with speaker stands.

The necklace came from the first stop and was really the only thing worth buying. Right away I noticed it was coral but didn't recognize the green stone. I saw marks on the back and assumed it was silver. I think it reads made in Mexico but the stamp to the left is what I can't read. It looks like a faint mark of numbers with the last one being a 6.

Is anybody familiar with Mexican marks?

 

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[GibH]

Looks like the mark for Margot de Taxco according to Margot de Taxco ~ Silver Marks & Biography - Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks

 

[Metro Retro]

It's the eagle assay mark. Nice find!

 

[bigcaddy64]

It's the eagle assay mark. Nice find!

Thanks! I wish the mark was a bit more well defined but oh well. Do you know what the green colored stone would be?

 

[GibH]

Probably malachite.

 

[Jayers]

The eagle with a number in it is the Mexico mark for sterling silver jewelry. I agree, looks like Margo de Taxco. Nice find. Also, the important thing here is that the eagle mark was used from from 1946 to 1979. So it's at least 37 years old.

From your picture the green stone looks like turquoise. If it's more green that it looks on the computer, than it could be Malachite, but I suspect that the way it's pieced in there, it's small chunks of turquoise fitted in.

 

[ARC]

IMO... repeat... IMO...

This is the "eagle mark"... yours is "16"...
Which is for "margot".

The 'eagle' mark also known as the 'bell' mark, or Mexican government assay mark, was used from approximately 1946 to 1979 (according to Warmans Jewelry 2nd edition by Christie Romero), and signified that the item so marked was at least of sterling (0.925 or 92.5% silver) quality. Oftentimes makers used higher quality silver, sometimes as much as .990 or 99.0 % pure silver! However, the use of this mark was inconsistent and erratic.

The primary use of the eagle mark to collectors is as an aid in circa dating. The lack of an eagle mark, however, does not rule out the item being made during this period.

Attribution to a specific maker cannot be made with certainty based solely upon an eagle mark. Other considerations such as style and workmanship play a greater role in making such a determination when a maker's mark is absent.

 

[Metro Retro]

Hi BigCaddy -- Regarding your question about the bottom stone, without having it in hand, I would have to guess that it is turquoise from what I can tell -- likely stabilized since it is carved. However, it could also be a dyed stone such as a howlite, etc. Given the branch coral above, it may very well be turquoise.

I have to respectfully disagree, that this is a Margot piece, since it is simply not her style nor is the silver gauge or construction correct. Margot cast her pieces and worked in mostly enamels and most often using meso-American pre-Columbian motifs, as well as with traditional Mexican filigree designs, which are actually Spanish/Morroccan in origin.

The piece would also be signed with her name and style number, which would provide you with a very tight circa date and/or year.

This is a hand-wrought piece of sheet silver -- beautifully done, but not Margot. Hope this helps!

 

[Metro Retro]

P.S. The chain is not original to the pendant (and likely Italian).

 

[Metro Retro]

P.P.S. I should also point out that that particular 'eagle' assay (a.k.a bell mark) is the one used from 1979 on.