Featured Silver Jewelry from Mexico and maybe Burma

Hi! Like so many, I'm using this down time to go over my stores of stuff...and after seeing interesting posts about silver jewelry from Mexico I thought I'd share some of the stuff I have and get some input.

My dad used to take business trips to Mexico in the early 50's and always bring my mother back a trinket. I've polished them up and would like to know if any of this jewelry is above average or is all of it tourist level baubles? Don't worry, both mom and dad are gone now so no one will be offended! One of the earrings got smashed in a travel case and I recently took it to Mexico where a street vendor repaired it as best he could.

The belt buckle probably belonged to my great grandparents who were missionaries in Burma between the late 1800's to the start of WWII. I also have a lot of VERY OLD ivory and some from the 80's when my parents lived in Nigeria. Not sure what I am allowed to do with Ivory. It's obvious it is very old because it has dried and cracked (not the jewelry, but the handles on the cutlery) but there are so many restrictions on ivory now I don't know what to do with it! View attachment 245867

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Anna

 

First piece is Japanese

 

Oh! Thanks! I've also inquired about some porcelain from the same era and it too has been identified as Japanese. I suppose there was a lot of trade between the Asian countries so it is to be expected that if they lived in Burma for over 40 years they would have a lot of Japanese items. Thanks.

 

The mark on the top piece doesn't look Japanese. @Any Jewelry

 

Legally, good luck with the ivory. You're allowed to keep it or even give it away (within state lines) but selling it would require proof it was manufactured pre-1920 or so. I still buy some once in a while when the local seller doesn't know what it is, because a few friends still like the old pieces. It doesn't go from me to the open market though.

 

Cut-off date is 1947

 

Well, my great grandparents left Burma at the start of WWII so I guess those pieces are OK. I have a necklace, bangles and cutlery. The other stuff (statues and knick knacks) are from Nigeria, from around 1981) and probably off limits.

 

The cut-off depends on where you are. In the UK it's 1947; where I am ... unless it's documented you can't sell it at all in a public forum.

 

First one screams Japan with those chrysanthemums. Nice thing.

 

I think Margot was a strong influence on the round medallion piece above
https://eronjohnsonantiques.com/products/c-101-0011-pair-of-vintage-mexican-margot-enamel-earrings

 

I think Margot refined the art. Nice!

Here is a vintage Mexican chip inlay brooch, maybe not quite as nice as the OP's and missing one of the dangles, but similar.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Taxco-Ster...927528?hash=item23c1f53368:g:Eq4AAOSwzfNdLh~a

 

The trade in ivory is regualted by the CITES-agreement from 1973 and applies worldwide (there are a handful of smaller countries that have not signed the agreement). Only historic, antique pieces of ivory or containing ivory may be sold/traded/exported. The exact cut-off date is June 01, 1947. In order to sell an ivory piece you need a certificate confirming that the ivory is older than 1947. Rules and regulations vary a bit from country to country regarding ivory regarding the period 1947-1990, but are very restrictive. All trade in ivory has been banned in 1990 (again with 3-4 exceptions). Some countries have adopted even stricter rules, among them the UK: https://www.antiquestradegazette.co...sent-from-queen-to-become-the-ivory-act-2018/

 

In 2016 the United States implemented even stricter rules and that is what @evelyb30 was referring to. Please see this web page from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:
https://www.fws.gov/international/travel-and-trade/ivory-ban-questions-and-answers.html

 

The 'eagle 3' mark on the pendant is a Taxco mark. I don't know the initials in the center which would be a artisan, but that can be looked up fairly easily. I LOVE the earrings!

 

Fig's right, and my states regulations are even tighter. The only people really buying ivory in CT these days are institutional buyers, i.e. museums.

 

I'm with the others, the first one is Japanese, and beautiful. You didn't show the back, but I guess it is ca 1900. The mark could be the maker's mark.

The Mexican one is based on a pre-Columbian Mixtec jewel. The stone chip inlay was already used in pre-Columbian times.
My Mexican silver book (Hougart) has 3 pages of makers who used the 'Eagle 3' mark, but I can't find the maker of yours. A lot of this Mixtec-inspired jewellery was made, by different makers.
This is the original:



About ivory, 1947 is the official year set in the CITES agreement. But since different countries and regions have different legislation, it is best to check what the legislation is where you are.

 

The stone chip inlay brooch(?)/pendant(?) was not inspired by Margot de Taxco enamel jewellery, but by a turquoise inlaid Mixtec jewel.

The Margot de Taxco (Margot Van Voorhies) earrings are enameled.
She designed either all silver jewellery or silver and enamel. The colours of her enamels are vibrant and were inspired by the colours of pre-Columbian jewellery and art. Her 'confetti enamels' could have been inspired by pre-Columbian stone chipwork, or even by the finer chipwork of her contemporaries.