This bracelet is pure vintage elegance - with pedigree. It is the work of a lesser-known Taxco, Mexico, designer/silversmith/workshop and shop owner Alicia de la Paz Ortiz Cuevas.

Taxco is a famed silversmithing town in Mexico, which became known for the quality of designs and workmanship in the 1930s and remains a center for fine production to this day.

The designer Alicia was known for her Dulce Plateros shop in Taxco, which operated between the 1980s and the 2000s. The bracelet is stamped with her hallmark, which appears in Billie Hougart’s definitive book on Mexican silver hallmarks. She was associated with a few different silversmiths, one of whom was J. Refugio Dominguez Montoya. He was registered by the Mexican government as “TD-27.” “T” for Taxco, “D” for Dominguez. (See T-marks in Morrill & Berk’s Mexican Silver book.)

The metal is 950 silver, which is a purer silver than 925. A Niton DXL Precious Metal Analyzer confirmed the content. The bracelet is marked “950.”

The 6mm gemstone at each terminal is cubic zirconia, that is, simulated diamond. Introduced in the late 1970s, it became very popular in the 1980s, which helps us date the piece. Aquitaine Arts likes the judicious use of CZ, in instances where it’s not likely to be taken for a diamond due to its size. A Presidium Gem Tester ruled out diamond.

The bracelet measures 6.5 inches and weighs 1.79oz/50.4g. The silver is about 7mm wide. The hinge works well. There are noticeable surface scratches.

This is the kind of bracelet that can be worn with anything, anywhere. Just a great piece of Mexican Modernism.

It will arrive in a pretty presentation box to which a gift message may be added.