Margot De Taxco "Maya Profile" Champlevé Convertible Pendant Necklace
 
This convertible pendant designed by Margot de Taxco is one of the most astounding pieces of silver jewelry I have ever come across.

Recently I learned of Margot Van Voorhies, known as Margot de Taxco, and the silversmiths of the Mexican city of Taxco.
 
As a result, I dove into the history and discovered that in the 1930s and 40s five grand silver studios rose to prominence and survived until the 1970s. During the 1970s the passing of their founders saw these grand studios fail and the dispersal of the artisans saw the silver industry in Taxco change dramatically. The studios were replaced with multiple one-man shops, and without oversight the quality of Taxco silver dropped significantly and became far more commercial.
 
Margot Van Voorhies began designing silver jewelry in the late 1940s after marrying a silver smith and moving to Taxco from her birthplace in San Francisco.
 
I will not go into a long-winded dissertation on what I have discovered as much as I would like to in my enthusiasm but I will say that Margot de Taxco created some of the most significant designs to issue from the city during its golden period.
 
Margot lost her business in 1972 but her legacy is not one to be forgotten anytime soon.
 
It is a large piece and commands attention and defies description. The silverwork and the enameling are exquisite and the use of colour is masterful.
 
This brooch/pendant rises far above being common jewelry and into an unapologetic expression of the highest example of a master silver smith’s art.
 
If you purchase this I know it will be the founding piece in your collection of Margot de Taxco.  Or perhaps you are already an acolyte, I know I am.
 
This is design #5404 and can be found on page 117 and 172 in "Margot Van Voorhies, The Art of Mexican Enamelwork" by Penny C. Morrill.
 
Cheers,
David Charles Grainger