Mexican Jewelry [Paperback]

Mary L. Davis (Author), Greta Pack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1982

Mexico's streams give forth cool green jade and rich gold; her shores provide coral and dainty pearls. Her brown hills yield silver and copper and gems whose colors form a dazzling palette for the jeweler. And Mexico has never lacked the artists to mold her abundant jewels into finished pieces of beauty.

In this enjoyable volume, Mary L. Davis and Greta Pack introduce us to the splendors of Mexican jewelry. First published nearly four decades ago, Mexican Jewelry has become a classic introduction to the richness and variety of this Mexican folk art.

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press (1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292750730
• ISBN-13: 978-0292750739
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #663,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This is a primer; a supplement to a Taxco library, September 3, 1999

By A Customer

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This review is from: Mexican Jewelry (Paperback)

The authors wrote this before the move to collect became as advanced as at present. There photos are b & w and they are plentiful for this reprint - i have not seen the original; and the text is short and to the point about a few artists. The preamble about Mexican silver antedating the Taxco movment is enlightening and very nicely done. Once can never have enough photos to have an appreciation and this little book adds to one's library of Taller and Taxco and is most welcome even if not a giant or in color.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good intro or addition to any library on Mexican silver, January 7, 2003

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JDiver "You haven't lived until you've dived." (Roseville, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mexican Jewelry (Paperback)

Though this book is slightly dated and lacks the lavish illustrations of some newer coffee-table treatises, it provides a good, basic overview of Taxco silverwork and traditional Mexican jewelry. (It is interesting to note that these authors are often quoted and cited in the newer works.) The book was written in the early '60's, just at the apogee of Taxco's productivity.

As a youngster, I spent many hours in Taxco, particularly in the talleres (workshops) of Hector Aguilar (Taller Borda) and the Castillo family, and have always been attracted to the diverse traditions of Mexican silver jewelry- from Michoacan, Oaxaca and elsewhere, including Taxco, which was extremely important in the renaissance of contemporary Mexican silver jewelry. The era of large talleres is largely over, with a very few still in existence. Much jewelry in Taxco today is made in tiny home workshops on contract, resulting in a decline of design and variety, not to mention the average workmanship.

This book is an excellent introduction, readable and intelligently written and illustrated, if limited in its scope and size due to the lack of supporting audience when it was written. I highly recommend it to those with an interest in Mexican jewelry and its traditions...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars History of Mexican Jewelry, August 27, 2005

By 

Beckie Perreault "BeckieP" (New England, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mexican Jewelry (Paperback)

This is a great book if you're looking to read up on the history of Mexican jewelry. But if you're looking for photos of Mexican jewelry or their markings, this is not the book you're looking for.