VINTAGE UNIQUE RARE FAMOUS SILVERSMITH FRED DAVIS STERLING EXCEPTIONAL JADE PIN

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VINTAGE UNIQUE RARE FAMOUS SILVERSMITH FRED DAVIS STERLING EXCEPTIONAL JADE PIN:
$200.00

VINTAGE MARKED UNIQUE FINE STERLING SILVER BRACELET 1 5/16th by 2 10/16th OF AN INCH. FRED DAVIS ARRIVED IN MEXICO IN 1910 AND FOUND EMPLOYMENT WITH THE SONORA NEWS COMPANY. THE NATURE OF HIS JOB REQUIRED TRAVEL WHICH BROUGHT DAVIS IN CONTACT WITH THE MEXICAN POPULATIONAND INSTILLED IN HIM A GROWING APPRECIATION FOR THE MEXICAN POPULAR ARTS AND CRAFTS. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE BEGAN COLLECTING MEXICAN ART AND ARTIFACTS AND ESTABLISHED A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH A CIRCLE OF MEXICAN ARTISANS. BUT IT WAS THE FOLK SILVER JEWELRY WORN BY THE PEASANTRY WHICH MOST FACINATED DAVIS. SOON DAVIS BEGAN COLLABORATING WITH MEXICAN SILVERSMITH IN MEXICO CITY TO MANUFACTURE SILVER JEWELRY INSPIRED BY THE TRADITIONAL FOLK AND PRE-Colombian MOTIFS. THIS AND OTHER SILVER JEWELRY ALONG WITH MEXICAN FOLK ARTS AND CRAFTS WERE SOLD IN HIS STORE IN MEXICO CITY WHICH ALSO SERVED AS A GATHERING PLACE FOR A CIRCLE OF MEXICAN ARTISTS AND ARTISAN DAVIS PURCHASED AND EXPORTED ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES, MEXICAN FOLK ARTS AND ARTIFACTS, AND CONTRACTED MEXICAN WORKERS TO MANUFACTURE HANDCRAFTED PRODUCTS WHICH HE EXPORTED TO THE U.S. WITH MAJOR DEPARTMENT STORES AMONG HIS MARKET.

IN 1933 DAVIS FORMED A PARTNERSHIP WITH FRANK SANBORN IN MEXICO CITY WHICH FOR THE NEXT TWO DECADES MANAGED THE SANBORN DEPARTMENT STORE, OFFERING ANTIQUES, COLLECTIBLES, AND MEXICAN HANDCRAFTED PRODUCTS TO THE GROWING TOURIST TRAFFIC. DAVIS ALSO COLLABORATED WITH THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT WHICH WAS INTERESTED IN PRESERVING THE MEXICAN GOLD ART THROUGH FISTERING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CRAFTS AS VIABLE BUSINESS ENTERPRISES. IN 1951, AFTER RETIRING FROM SANBORN, DAVIS BECAME THE FIRST DIRECTOR OF THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED MUSEUM OF POPULAR ARTS AND INDUSTRIES : SEVERAL YEARS LATER A SIGNIFICANT PART OF HIS OWN COLLECTION WAS GIVEN TO THE MUSEUM.

DAVIS\'S SILVER JEWELRY IS OF SUPERIOR QUALITY AND THE DESIGNS ARE DIRECTLY INSPIRED BY THE MEXICAN CULTURE AND HISTORY. TO THE END, HIS BUSINESS INTERESTS NEVER OVERWHELMED HIS PASSION FOR MEXICO AND THE SOURCES OF HIS INSPIRATION. MUCH OF THE SILVER JEWELRY AND BOXES ARE SET WITH NATIVE STONES, PARTICULARLY THE POPULAR AMETHYST. NOT ALL THE PIECES WERE MARKED, AND THE MARKED JEWELRY IS EXTREMELY RARE, COMMANDING HIGH PRICES.