Gorgeous Taxco Sterling Grapes Brooch Signed Eagle 3 Mark Sterling Mark Makers Marks Older Piece
ITEM: A classic design from the Mecca of Mexican silver, Taxco, this double stamped brooch is the quintessential grape cluster design we all know and love. An earlier version than some, it's got all of those high style design details we who love good Mexican silver, love to see. This is one curvy girl! The subtleties between these earlier versions and those made post 1955, may be slight - but the eye never lies. Your eye catches those details and then translates them into a feeling. There's just that extra bit of detail, that tone, luster, that vein, the way the leaves gently curve and hug the clustered fruits. Those benched balls of goodness that make up the primary under pinning for those incredibly expressive leaves. Even the workmanship underneath has that extra touch about it. The curl of stem for instance. The overall balance of the piece. And then there's the silver itself! I'm not sure if I sound a crazy lady or not but these pieces have a quality to them that's hard to define. There's a warmth of tone to the silver. A depth of luster. I think that other selling people who love good pieces of silver will agree with me on this; if you lined up silver from different regions, say - A good Scandinavian piece, a good Italian piece and a good Taxco piece - I'm betting that you'd be able to pick out which is from where! They're all great and all worthy of appreciation, they're just...different. But again, it's a subtle difference and difficult to explain without sounding crazy! But I digress. What we have here is a lovely, large brooch that is designed to look like a cluster of grapes. It's double stamped with the Eagle 3 Mark - a regional mark used until about the mid 1950s, that relates to where the piece was made. The Eagle 3 stands for Taxco. It's also signed with the makers initials, A. L. And stamped 925, Taxco Mexico. My research did not turn up who's initials they belong to however it suggests an approximate date between 1945-55, roughly. A piece with a good deal of presence, an extra helping of design, a hand touched look about it. A classic holloware design, it's a very good example of type and style, well marked to be sure. But also, marked beyond the stamps themselves, its the beautiful sum of all it's parts, signed by its own design and character. A great addition to any collection of vintage sterling, Mexican or Taxco - or for the best reason of all: just because you like it!
SIZE and WEIGHT: This lovely piece measures 2” across and tall. A sculptural piece, it stands about 3/4” deep. This large and lovely brooch weighs in at about 21.4 grams by my scale.
CONDITION: In very good vintage condition showing age appropriate wear overall. As a holloware piece, one of the first things I look for is any collapse in the silver. I see no dents or dings, no breaks or cracks and no signs of repair. Full and dimensional design are hallmarks of a good holloware piece and this has that in spades. A sculptural piece in fact! The beads or grapes are full and round and the leaf gently cups the cluster. The textural work is gorgeous on that main leaf with raised, repousse details on the veining. The smaller leaf has less dimension but still has textural details. The piece does carry patina. Particularly in recessed areas, behind the clusters and leaves. I love the way the patina adds to the dimension and detail. It also adds a wonderful warmth to the luster. I've cleaned the surface dirt and oil but left that wonderful patina in place. The decision to polish or not is a very personal choice and there's really no right or wrong here. If you prefer it to look a brighter, newer silver, just let me know and add a day to shipping estimate to allow time to polish it up. Otherwise it will arrive as seen in the photos above, richly lustrous and bright with depth of design by the darker areas of patina. The brooch has a sturdy pin back with a rolling clasp closure of the type typical of the day. Intact and functional.
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Bracelet to match?
https://etsy.me/38Udnwk
Product code: Old Taxco Grapes Brooch Signed Sterling AL Taxco selling Mexico Eagle 3 Mark