Mexican Silver Jewelry Great Master Designers

Master Designers of Mexican Silver Jewelry

William Spratling

In 1926, Spratling made his first visit to Mexico, returning each summer until finally moving there permanently in 1929.  He was welcomed into the artistic community, becoming friends with Diego Rivera, whose art Spratling promoted in the United States.  With funding from the Carnegie Institute, Spratling organized the first exhibition of Mexican art in the United States, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.  The exhibit featured Rivera’s murals as well as some of Spratling’s own work.  Using commissions from Rivera, Spratling purchased a home in Taxco, silver jewelry capital of the world.

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Hector Aguilar

Hector Aguilar, born in 1905, was one of Taxco’s great jewelry designers.  In 1935 he began working for William Spratling as a shop manager at Taller de Las Delicias in Taxco.  In 1937, he began his apprenticeship under Spratling.  The American’s designs, featuring traditional Mexican motifs, influenced Aguilar greatly.  Unlike many of his peers, however, he chose to work with nearly pure silver (980 or 990 millesimal fineness, compared to the more common 925 sterling silver alloys typically used).

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