Margot De Taxco "Serpent" Sterling Silver Champlevé Enamel Necklace
 
This serpent necklace designed by Margot de Taxco is one of the most astounding pieces of silver jewellery 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. 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 silversmith 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 passed away in 1972 but her legacy is not one to be forgotten anytime soon.
 
In the first moment, I saw this piece I became a fan, and it genuinely takes people’s breath away when they open the box and see it for the first time. Janice, on seeing it, immediately claimed it as hers and it took some fancy talking to dissuade her and put it on offer. Honestly, that battle may not be won yet.
 
It is a large piece which defies description and commands attention. The silverwork and the enameling are exquisite and the use of colour is masterful.
 
This necklace rises far above being common jewelry into an unapologetic expression of the highest example of a master silversmith’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 #5554 and can be found on page 138, 139 and 175 in "Margot Van Voorhies, The Art of Mexican Enamelwork" by Penny C. Morrill.
 
Cheers,
David Charles Grainger