Earrings, Federico, Mazahua, Sterling Silver, Doves, Hallmark, Contemporary, 2330

Incredibly intricate Mazahua dangles from Federico Jimenez.

The contemporary artisan is a master of his craft, and this pair of dangles showcases his skilled silverwork in the daintiness of the dangles and the detail on the turtledoves. Mazahua earrings are often referred to as Mexican wedding earrings (hence the “lovebirds”) and are traditionally adorned with stones suited for a wedding dress, such as these freshwater pearl cabochons.

Federico Jiménez (1941 -; Mexican). Born in Tututepec, Mexico; lives and works in Southern California. Designer and maker of bold southwestern style jewelry; cluster work.

Mark: F J (conjoined)

Born in 1941, jewelry artisan Federico Jimenez has long appreciated Native American culture and craftsmanship. Originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, Federico came to the United States in 1967 to work and attend school, where he studied jewelry-making and design. In 1970, he and his wife, Ellen Belber Jimenez, traveled throughout the Southwest, where they first fell in love with the Native American and southwestern aesthetic. They became connoisseurs of folk art and amassed a collection of Native American, Latin American, and Mexican antiques, jewelry, and housewares, opening a series of galleries in southern California. Formerly a trustee of the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos and the Southwest Indian Museum in Los Angeles, Federico now resides in Venice, California, where his primary focus is designing his jewelry. 

• artist:  Federico Jiménez
• hallmarks: conjoined F J, STERLING
  
• materials: sterling silver, freshwater pearls
• measurements: 3 1/2" 
• weight: 19 grams
• closure: post
• contemporary
• style: JE2330