Mateo Mexican silver tiger's eye brutalist Pendant Necklace
Maestro Mateo is mostly known for his brutalist rings and his work spans the 1980 divide. Most of his pieces that were made after 1980 are wrought in 950 silver, which almost became the norm in Mexican jewelry during that period. Finding a ring of his from the 1960s-70s is a real treat but the excitement is even greater when one comes upon a pendant bearing his signature, and an early one at that! If my memory serves me well, this is the second Mateo pendant that I have had in all my years of buying and selling vintage Taxco treasures. The first one was a post-1980 example with a beautifully carved obsidian "mask" yet this time around I was lucky enough to the date a little further in the past. Nicely cast, combining abstraction with a tinge of brutalism and a shimmering teardrop tiger's eye dangle the pendant will come to you paired with a sterling silver chain that is not Mexican but looks a really good match for it...
Size / Weight: 3 1/8" long (including bail) by 1 5/8" wide for the pendant; chain itself is 19" long; 34.7 grams (for the duo)
Hallmarks / Date: maker's signature as shown as well as "MEXICO TAXCO 925" and Eagle 3 assay mark; chain is marked "STERLING" on the spring ring; 1970s
Condition: excellent vintage with beautiful casting, a gorgeous stone, nice patina and no damage or repairs noted - a rare example of maestro Mateo's work
Inv# 15916
Maestro Mateo is mostly known for his brutalist rings and his work spans the 1980 divide. Most of his pieces that were made after 1980 are wrought in 950 silver, which almost became the norm in Mexican jewelry during that period. Finding a ring of his from the 1960s-70s is a real treat but the excitement is even greater when one comes upon a pendant bearing his signature, and an early one at that! If my memory serves me well, this is the second Mateo pendant that I have had in all my years of buying and selling vintage Taxco treasures. The first one was a post-1980 example with a beautifully carved obsidian "mask" yet this time around I was lucky enough to the date a little further in the past. Nicely cast, combining abstraction with a tinge of brutalism and a shimmering teardrop tiger's eye dangle the pendant will come to you paired with a sterling silver chain that is not Mexican but looks a really good match for it...
Size / Weight: 3 1/8" long (including bail) by 1 5/8" wide for the pendant; chain itself is 19" long; 34.7 grams (for the duo)
Hallmarks / Date: maker's signature as shown as well as "MEXICO TAXCO 925" and Eagle 3 assay mark; chain is marked "STERLING" on the spring ring; 1970s
Condition: excellent vintage with beautiful casting, a gorgeous stone, nice patina and no damage or repairs noted - a rare example of maestro Mateo's work
Inv# 15916
Maestro Mateo is mostly known for his brutalist rings and his work spans the 1980 divide. Most of his pieces that were made after 1980 are wrought in 950 silver, which almost became the norm in Mexican jewelry during that period. Finding a ring of his from the 1960s-70s is a real treat but the excitement is even greater when one comes upon a pendant bearing his signature, and an early one at that! If my memory serves me well, this is the second Mateo pendant that I have had in all my years of buying and selling vintage Taxco treasures. The first one was a post-1980 example with a beautifully carved obsidian "mask" yet this time around I was lucky enough to the date a little further in the past. Nicely cast, combining abstraction with a tinge of brutalism and a shimmering teardrop tiger's eye dangle the pendant will come to you paired with a sterling silver chain that is not Mexican but looks a really good match for it...
Size / Weight: 3 1/8" long (including bail) by 1 5/8" wide for the pendant; chain itself is 19" long; 34.7 grams (for the duo)
Hallmarks / Date: maker's signature as shown as well as "MEXICO TAXCO 925" and Eagle 3 assay mark; chain is marked "STERLING" on the spring ring; 1970s
Condition: excellent vintage with beautiful casting, a gorgeous stone, nice patina and no damage or repairs noted - a rare example of maestro Mateo's work
Inv# 15916