Quick heads up that this is an insanely long post with 40+ vintage jewelry links. It will get cut off in email inboxes. I highly recommend reading it in the Substack app or in a web browser.
I went into a vintage store in Northeast Harbor, Maine, a few weeks ago with no intention of buying jewelry, fell in love with the below (far left) bracelet, and passed on it. (I am genuinely (!!) trying to live by my own buy before I do rule about not purchasing every good thing I see.)
I have thought about it most days since, which is slightly unhinged to admit. I would wear it the same way I wear my gold cuff, which is at least once a week, both dressed down and dressed up.
As you can see, I own a few vintage silver pieces, including this wavy Taxco cuff and the far right Pierre Cardin cuff, which I found in Paris, but I was very tempted by the detail and obvious age of this one.
I'm already a big fan of this chunky silver concept, and the proof is in most of the outfits I've posted this year. I'm not fooling myself into thinking anyone reads my newsletter as closely as I do while making it, but, to play a little I Spy…
I have technically been making this vintage silver argument for months. It's extremely versatile and a strong investment (because whatever else turns out to be true about the piece, it's still worth at least the silver it's made of).
So, as any rational person would, I’ve spent the three weeks since reading about silver, specifically the Southwestern and Mexican traditions, instead of several things I was actually supposed to be doing.
To be clear, this is not an expert’s post. People who have spent forty years on this would find my new knowledge “charming.” I do really believe, though, that there’s value in understanding what you’re buying and its tradition (as demonstrated by my Cowichan sweater post).
New here? Hi! Three months ago I started PMLF as a running record of what I’m hunting for, how I plan on styling it, and a few other creative pursuits sprinkled in. Between weekly(ish) newsletters, find me on Instagram sharing vintage and the aforementioned hodgepodge.
Two potential hunts
When people think of chunky vintage Southwestern and Mexican silver, it’s usually one of two traditions.
Navajo silversmithing started around 1853, when a Diné blacksmith named Atsidi Sani is generally credited with learning metalwork from a Mexican smith. The earliest Navajo pieces were made from melted coin silver, stamped with tools the smiths filed themselves.
In 1931 an American architect, William Spratling, opened a workshop in Taxco, a colonial silver town in Mexico. This is where a lot of the vintage Mexican silver pieces you’ve seen likely come from.
Thus, we have two directions to hunt in:
Navajo for the heavier, more handmade-feeling pieces. They date earlier and tend to be a bit chunkier and less polished. The cuff I tried on in Northeast Harbor is Navajo. I really liked that it felt different from what you see reproduced for the mass market, and that it has obvious age.
Heavy for its size, with stamped decoration
Unsigned is fine (even good, as the early smiths didn’t sign their work)
Taxco is a good fit if you want something more sculptural, designerly, or current-feeling. If you’re like me, you too will now spend unreasonable amounts of time zooming in on maker’s marks.
The Taxco eagle mark was used from 1948 to 1980. No eagle means pre-1948 (my favorite), and after 1980 you have letter codes
The famous names (usually with prices to match): William Spratling, Antonio Pineda, Los Castillo, Héctor Aguilar, Margot de Taxco
Price ranges
Before I start throwing numbers around: I’m not your girl for what something is technically “worth.” With clothing I do look at material and era (and sometimes I cross-reference comparable sales), but mostly it comes down to how much I like the piece, how I imagine wearing it, and how unique it feels.
Silver (and gold) is the exception, because the metal itself gives you a benchmark, and silver is on the rise right now. Some silver math, the cousin of girl math, using sterling at roughly $1.90 a gram:
Normal vintage cuff: 40–80g, so roughly $76–152
Heavy stuff: 100–200g+, so roughly $190–380
Concho belt, just as an extreme example: 300–700g, so roughly $570–1,330
Designer, age, and stones all push it up from there, but at least you know what the metal alone is worth.
Beyond this, most of what you can buy new is either 1) not actually sterling silver, like this very cute Julietta cuff, or 2) sterling and two to three times the price of similar vintage pieces below, like this incredible stamped Juju Vera cuff.
The good part
Now, to the finds. A chunky silver piece works with almost everything, which is how this became my recent fixation. A cuff or a collar goes with jeans and a white t-shirt, and I'd wear that same piece with a fun top and a skirt to dinner.
There is a staggering amount of silver out there, so I've kept this roundup to pieces I know I'd wear constantly. I favor the sculptural end of things, ideally with some texture, which is why it's mostly cuffs and collars, with a few earrings and brooches thrown in.
Left to right, top to bottom:
Vintage Taxco chunky woven cuff, 89g, $401 (I love the loop effect; great statement cuff)
Vintage Navajo silver cuff, 80g, $450 (This is the one I very likely may get to replace the one I passed on in Maine.)
William Spratling–style “River of Life” cuff, 59g, $209 (Famous cuff design you’ll see a handful of; love the sense of movement and would look great stacked with something sleeker)
Vintage square link cuff, 29g, $158 (Lightest of the bunch and the most graphic…reads almost like hardware in a good way)
Taxco cuff by Rodrigo, 50g, $270 (Extremely similar to the inspiration picture on the far right)
Ridged Mexican sterling cuff, weight not listed but it’s 47mm wide, $450 (This feels extremely current and modern, if that’s your vibe)
Vintage Navajo stamped cuff, 96g, $1,440 (The heaviest and priciest here and of course I’m obsessed with it… the stamping and that diagonal sweep are so good)
Wide Taxco wave cuff, 58g, $310 (Sculptural and would be so easy to dress up or down)
Vintage Mexican oval cut-out cuff, weight not listed, $199 (Reminds me of the more abstract shape of my Pierre Cardin one)
Left to right, top to bottom:
Vintage 3-stone Taxco cuff, 72.5g, $287 (Into the asymmetrical cut with onyx)
Vintage sterling and gemstone cuff, weight not listed (about 1” wide), $175 (1980s but feels a lot like this Julietta one, but better bc of the price and it’s vintage)
Taxco lapis cuff, 33g, $325 (The lightest one here but I really like the design. The alternative I had in mind when I passed on the one in Northeast Harbor.)
Antonio Reina Taxco cuff with amethysts, weight not listed, $300 (Hinged and so unique. Begging for the spotlight!)
Denmark amethyst cuff, weight not listed (30mm wide), $800 (The Danish outlier in a Mexican lineup but I’m really into it and fits the theme)
Taxco black obsidian wide cuff, weight not listed (2” wide), $299 (Love the scale of the obsidian oval on the otherwise simple band)
Taxco ribbed cuff with onyx cabochon, 52g, $148 (Best value of the nine, has a little scuffing but it makes the age obvious in a good way)
1990s multi-stone sterling cuff, 43g, $768 (It’s so so good. Reminds me of the Mondo Mondo cuff I love the width on this one)
Mexico cuff with oval bloodstone, 81g, $175 (Heaviest here by a lot for the price, which means someone should snag it ASAP)
Left to right, top to bottom:
Taxco cascading plates choker, 49g, $116 (Marked down from $165; great to dress up a tee or turtleneck)
Wide scalloped Taxco collar, 71g, $249 (A great neck cuff that could be worn on its own or layered)
Taxco collar with lapis pendant, 111g, $486 (Heaviest thing in any of these grids and I love the shape of the pendant)
Hammered collar with lapis, weight not listed, $170 (Hammering is more unique; I didn’t see many pieces like this while searching)
Los Castillo teardrop bib, weight not listed, $554 (I would loveee to dress this up and wear it to an event. The lacing reminds me of the fine jewelry line Julia just launched)
Taxco modernist twisted collar, 55g, $228 (Simple but with some twisted rope for texture)
Mexican sterling onyx collar, 48g, $375 (So fun and different)
Choker with pink gemstone, 56g, $171 (Into this massive pink stone. I’ve bought from Rubylane, can vouch)
Mexican black stone collar, weight not listed, $787 (There’s a coupon code bringing this down by $100. Would love to see it with an oversized Oxford with undone top buttons)
Left to right, top to bottom:
Vintage Taxco earrings, $190 (These are in 9 carts so I’m sure they’ll go quick)
Taxco drop earrings, $195 (Hollow so you don’t have to worry about them being too heavy)
Antonio Pineda horse head screw backs, $450 (For our horse girlies, I believe these are quite rare)
Modernist squiggle post earrings, $44 (These feel extremely current and come in at less than most Zara earrings)
Taxco flying pig brooch, $125 (This is SO FUN with the gold accents; dress up a wool coat or blazer this season)
Mexico malachite clip-ons, $150 (Love that green against silver)
Mexico sterling sun face brooch, $125 (Down from $275 and an estate find! Would be so fun next summer to wear a pareo as a skirt to dinner)
Beaded disk statement dangles, $225 (These are a good chunk of silver, so expect some weight)
Taxco silver basket necklace, $800 (Very similar to the Tiffany ones Kallmeyer just showed on the runway. I originally had this one linked, but it sold. This one on Poshmark looks to be the exact same, but I would offer lower.)
Also, a trick of the trade to share… if a piece shows up looking dull, line a bowl with aluminum foil, add a spoonful of baking soda and some boiling water, and drop the jewelry in. The tarnish usually lifts right off (cheapest household trick there is and I use it often).
In other non-silver news, in the next few weeks I'll be turning on paid subscriptions. I've been thinking a lot about what it means to pay for a newsletter, and about asking you to pay to read this or have access to more finds. Where I've landed is that it's a small way of voting (at the price of a coffee) for what I'm sharing here, and for my perspective and taste.
Until then, and honestly after too for anything that stays outside the paywall, the best way to support this is to subscribe if you don't already, send it to someone who'd like it, and shop through my affiliate links (though guys, the earnings are a few dollars at best given almost everything is vintage or secondhand).
Finders keepers,
SN
You’re speaking my language! I chuckled because, as someone who also haunts the internet staring at Taxco constantly, I’ve had quite a few of the finds you suggest here favorited already 😂. This was such a fun essay to read, and I clearly share your taste in silver!
A must read for us silver girlies