Silver has long been used to make jewelry. In Mexico, the Taxco people were using silver long before the Spanish arrived in the Americas. They mined silver for ceremonial uses and to make gifts for the Aztec gods. The Aztecs were also incredible craftsmen, though much of their work did not survive the Spanish conquest.
Hernán Cortés, a Spanish Conquistador, established the modern city of Taxco in the 1520s, and Taxco silver became Spain’s primary source of precious metals from the Americas. In 1716, José de la Borda, the son of a French army officer and a Spaniard, joined his brother in Taxco to mine for silver, gold, and iron. De la Borda was very successful as a silver miner, becoming the wealthiest man in Mexico.
In the 1920s, an American architecture professor and artist named William Spratling moved to Mexico after befriending the artist Diego Rivera. Fascinated with pre-Columbian and Aztec art, he used the designs in the creation of silver jewelry and began teaching local silversmiths how to produce his designs. Spratling earned the nickname El Padre de la Plata de Mexico (The Father of Mexican Silver).
I began my business in 1996 with $400 traveling to Taxco Mexico to buy silver jewelry which I then resold in Denver, reinvesting the money made and returning to Mexico to build relationships with artisan families. Now, nearly thirty years later, I continue working with the children of those first artisans to continue the tradition of creativity, quality, and exceptional workmanship. All of our jewelry is crafted with care and attention to detail, and each piece is distinct.
Recently, we began sourcing the finest Sleeping Beauty turquoise from Arizona and incorporating the turquoise in our silver jewelry designs. All of our jewelry comes with a lifetime warranty because we know the quality of the workmanship will stand the test of time.
When you buy from us, you pass on the belief that we all do well by doing good.
