Silver 950
Jewelry from Taxco, Mexico.

I am very proud to present this amazing piece of art. This is a gorgeous, modern piece of jewelry from Taxco, Mexico. His creator represents the new generation of Mexican artisans that want to keep the tradition of Taxco silver jewelry making alive.

Let me give you a little bit of the story and the motivation behind this amazing Mexican silver necklace. The author's name is Julio benítez Juaréz; he was born and raised in Taxco, Mexico. From a very young age, he was exposed to the art of silver jewelry making, due to the fact that all his family has done the same thing for generations, working with this precious metal and creating artistic, innovating and beautiful silver jewelry.
This is one of my feature items, because this incredible piece participated in the prestigious 2009 Taxco's "Galardón" "Feria de la Plata" or "Taxco's silver fair" that takes part every year in Taxco, Mexico. The theme behind the design was, "Save the Earth" under the title "Carey”.

His inspiration came from the same questions that every one of us ask ourselves, more often nowadays, about our climate changes, the use of fuels, the way, us as humans, are in a way contributing to the extinction of certain animal species and natural resources. The reduction in number for the turtle in beaches all over Mexico, is a sad fact that worries all of us, not only Mexicans but conservationists from all over the world as well.  
The new generations of young enthusiasts, want to draw the attention to this matter and Julio is one of them. He thought that the turtle's life cycle, represents so well what nature is all about, not only on turtles but for all species in this world, including human beings.
If you pay close attention, in this gorgeous composition, you'll find a whole life cycle here, which makes us think and reflect on what we are doing to this earth. But not only that, please take a good look at the extraordinary and detailed work on this silver necklace, as I mentioned in my title, this Taxco silver necklace has different elements but also materials that make it so wonderful. The designer uses not only 950 sterling silver, but also Mexican amber or better known as Chiapas amber and 2 little emerald gemstones. All beautifully worked and placed.

Some of the Chiapas amber has been carved, to draw details on the turtle's body that is coming out of the egg; also the starfish has little details as well, drawn on the surface. There's also what it looks like a full grown turtle swimming with its shell and again a couple more faceted Mexican ambers.
The metal has different textures all over, trying to represent nature, like water, sand, bubbles, even the turtle's eggs. I love this part on the necklace's design, because it breaks with any pattern that you can think of. The silver on the eggs section is not completely polished; the surface is a little rough, with a fine tinny scratched surface, making it opaque in tone, not shinny as the rest. It also carries the final touch that gives it a little extra, without making it too flashy or colorful. The two little emeralds that are placed as part of the turtle's eyes.  This is a perfect piece for Mexican silver jewelry collectors.

The Mexican silver necklace is completely handmade and not marked and I have to be honest with you, but in order for these artists to participate in the contest and submit their creations, their pieces cannot carry any kind of marks on them, those are the rules, I really do not know exactly why, but I am trying to figure it out, as soon as I know the reason, I will let everybody know about it.I am showing lots of pictures in my listing, so you can take a good look at this Taxco silver necklace wonder. Please don't hesitate to contact us in case you have more questions or concerns about this or any other piece in this store.

The silver amber and emeralds necklace is two and five eighths inch wide, at its widest point (The grown turtle) and it has an inside circumference of eighteen inches. This is also a unique piece, that will only be made again under special requests.