50's-60's Los Castillo Abalone sterling mosaic bird pin

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50's-60's Los Castillo Abalone sterling mosaic bird pin, no issues.

Los Castillo Jewelry - HistoryAntonio Ca stillo and his brothers … Read more 50's-60's Los Castillo Abalone sterling mosaic bird pin, no issues.

Los Castillo Jewelry - HistoryAntonio Ca stillo and his brothers Jorge, Miguel, and Justo began Los Castillo in 1939. They had all apprenticed in William Spratling’s taller before starting their own business in Taxco, Mexico. Antonio Castillo rose to the level of master silversmith during his time working with Spratling.

The Los Castillo workshop trained and employed many skilled silversmiths over its decades in the business, including the Castillo brothers’ cousin Salvador Teran, Sigi Pineda, Antonio Pineda, and Antonio Castillo’s wife, Margot van Voorhies Carr. All these artists went on to open their own successful workshops, including van Voorhies Carr who founded Margot de Taxco after she and Antonio Castillo divorced.

Los Castillo is known for its quality silver wares as well as mixed metals that incorporated copper and/or brass with sterling silver. Other decorative home accessories can be found with silver plating and inlaid stone embellishments. Chato (Jorge) Castillo was one of the Castillo brothers who worked in the 1930s for William Spratling. He is known for his technical expertise and his design talent. He developed the techniques for married metals, feathers with silver, Aztec mosaic or stone inlay, concha or abalone inlay,...(Mexican Silver: Modern Hand-wrought Jewelry & Metalwork by Morrill and Berk (Schiffer: 2007, 4th Edition), p. 86. See less