A PERSONAL NOTE:

Reigning high on the international platform for a vast range of designs, Federico is widely known throughout the globe for not only his "Statuesque-Over the Top " turquoise jewelry, (which by the way, can be seen a mile away) but also for his very elegant, but yet traditional Oaxaca Dove/Filigree jewelry that comes from his birthplace of Oaxaca..

Being somewhat of a "walking history book" ,little do buyers know how antiquities that came from various areas of Mexico & during certain periods of time, have always played a major role in Federico's up bringing. Proud of his rich cultural Mexican heritage, he has collected some of the most collectible Museum worthy items which he has bought, kept & or has sold. From the gold jewelry that was made during the 'pre & post colonial' period, to stone art, to Taxco & Mexico City jewelry that was being made during the height of the "Mexican Silver Renaissance Days", to hand woven textiles made throughout the Americas. His love for indigenous art extends to very old Native American jewelry which he has collected & sold for many years now.

In fact when he came to America in the 60's, it was his Filigree/Dove Jewelry & vintage Native American collection that he brought with him & which was what he 1st started selling at the LA flea Market, where CHER just happened to be one of his 1st customers back then & went on to purchase many of his pieces that she then wore. Now,the celebrity list is too long to mention..

It's people like Federico who has help to keep the historical art of Mexico alive & who brings pieces like this to the public eye, that many would not have known about otherwise!
************************
THE MEZCALA CULTURE:
Mezcala is a Mesoamerican culture that thrived in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero between 700 and 200 BC and continued into the Classic period. The culture is known for its stone sculptures, which include human figures, animals, and architectural models. The sculptures are abstract and can be geometric, and were created without metal tools.

Mezcala sculpture is characterized by abstract facial features, suggested by lines and differences in texture. The sculptural style of the Mezcala culture may have been influenced by the Olmecs. In turn, it may have influenced the development of sculpture at the Classic-period metropolis of Teotihuacan in the Valley of Mexico.
************************
THE NECKLACE:
This extremely old 'piece of history' necklace was unearthed in the state of Guerrero Mexico & I was told by Federico it is said to have belonged to the ancient Mezcala people. Both the beads & the mask originally came so heavily covered in the dirt that it was pulled from, so much so, that you couldn't see what was under the dirt. (This took awhile, since it was that crusted) So Federico & his help, cleaned both the beads & the face, with having very little left in the crevices. Originally it came strung as a necklace, but the stringing material had weakened over time, so it was restrung with a heavy thick cord, in order to support it's hefty 1 pound & 4 oz. weight.

Since there was no evidence of Lapidary wheels during this time period, both the beads & mask had to be more than likely than not, carved with, by hand. The holes you see in the mask may have been created with a bow-drill like devise like the Ancestral Pueblo natives used centuries ago to create holes in the beads they made.

While the beads & mask are extremely old,the necklace had to be revised a bit in order to give it additional security. So the sterling bezel the face sits in & the cord were added later.

It's amazing that when I hold this, how much you can feel it's historical timeline & all the history behind it.. Truly a piece of Mexican history that belongs in a Museum! And if you have a little "Frida" in you, this would have been a necklace she would have wore..

**This is a very heavy necklace, so please go over the weights before purchasing & make sure you can wear something of this magnitude, since I do not take returns because of this."