Taxco Sterling Silver Articulated Fish Skeleton Pendant on Strand

A Mexican modernist composition originally fashioned as a lamp pull, combining a hand-fabricated sterling silver articulated drop with a stacked strand of mixed stone and glass beads. Read straight on, the silver pendant is unmistakably a fish skeleton — three linked sections forming the complete anatomy: a swept, horn-flanked upper body, a central spine piece with diamond-pointed vertebrae, and a finned triangular tail pierced with a circular eye cutout — all joined by faceted diamond connectors that let the whole form flex and swing freely. Each section is hammered and oxidized, the bones reading with graphic clarity in the post-war Taxco idiom. The reverse of the central piece carries the maker's mark along with "925," "STERLING," and "MEXICO" stamps.

Above the silver, the beaded strand layers turquoise discs, malachite, faceted hematite, an orange agate or carnelian boulder bead, an amber-toned fluted glass spindle, and red and green glass beads, suspended on wire and finished with a brass tulip cap and ball-chain connector at the top — the original lamp-pull hardware retained from its functional life. Taxco's silver workshops, centered in Guerrero from the 1930s onward, produced this kind of sculptural, abstract work for the mid-century design market; the brass cap and chain hardware remain fully intact and could be returned to use as a pull or displayed as a pendant assemblage.

CONDITION

Good. Silver retains an even oxidized patina with surface tarnish — left as-is for the buyer to polish if desired. Beads and stones are intact; strand wire and brass tulip cap are sound. Articulated links move freely.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall Height: 12"
• Weight: 88 grams
• Metal: Sterling silver (.925), maker marked
• Stones / Beads: Turquoise, malachite, hematite, agate/carnelian, glass
• Hardware: Brass tulip cap, ball-chain connector, wire strand
• Origin: Taxco, Mexico