Bullseye!

This stunning sterling silver necklace features an unusual design of a flight of arrows converging in the center of a target. 

  

Beautifully crafted and constructed, this substantial necklace curves comfortably around your neck.   

The necklace is stamped on the back of the pendant both "Sterling" and "925," the assay mark for sterling silver, guaranteeing that the metal is 92.5 percent silver. As indicated by the incised "Hecho in Mexico," this unique piece comes from our neighbor to the south; it is also marked "Taxco GRO." "GRO" stands for the Mexican state of Guerrero and Taxco is a city there renown for its fine quality silver and skilled silversmiths. Taxco has long history of silver mining, dating back to pre-Columbian times. Hernan Cortes later claimed Taxco's silver for Spain, and himself, but as the silver veins ran out and other richer mines were located, the mines were closed. In 1716, Spaniard Don Jose de la Borda discovered another rich vein of silver in Taxco and mining began anew. However, during the Mexican War for Independence, the Spanish mine owners destroyed the mines and fled. 

A new chapter in Taxco's silver history opened with the arrival of American William Spratling in the late 1920s. Spartling, an architect, settled in Taxco, attracted by the beauty of the quiet and isolated city. Although he originally settled in Taxco to pursue a writing career, he soon found himself intrigued by Mexican art and crafts. Spratling learned the art of silversmithing and built a workshop hiring local craftspeople to create his designs, often inspired by Aztec and Mayan art. He also started an apprenticeship program to train silversmiths and soon many of his protégés were opening their own workshops. The completion of a highway opened Taxco to tourists and when WWII interrupted the European jewelry industry, high-end American department and jewelry stores began to feature Mexican gold and silver jewelry. The Mexican aesthetic also fit well with the sl]eek lines of the mid-century modern movement.

Although its silver mines have long been closed, Taxco remains a center for silver, with hundreds of workshops creating sterling jewelry and decorative pieces. This vintage piece is signed "Beto." In the first early part of the 20th century, Mexican silver items were marked typically marked "silver" or "sterling," with an assay number indicating the finess of the metal, and often, in addition to "Mexico or "Hecho en Mexico," with the name of the town, as well as the maker.  In 1948 the Mexican government introduced an eagle mark, but it was replaced in the 1980s with a number and letter system, beginning with a letter identifying the location of manufacture (such as "T" for Taxco), as second letter of the silversmith's first or last name, followed by the registration number of the maker.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

1677-1494