Vintage, LOS BALLESTEROS sterling silver abalone butterfly brooch

Vintage, LOS BALLESTEROS sterling silver abalone butterfly brooch

Mexico 1950s

Size: 5 cm long by 4 cm wide

Signed: hecho en Mexico 925 & ballesteros hallmark

condition: good

This business was established in 1937 by Jalil Majul Ballesteros in Iguala, Mexico. He had been apprenticed in the art of silversmithing by his grandfather and godfather, and early on, he made jewelry with a filigree look. In 1941 he moved his workshop to Taxco and adopted styles that were more in line with the tourist pieces produced there.

During the 1950s, piecework was farmed out to smaller family workshops in the Taxco area, and the pieces were marked Talleres de los Ballesteros. These pieces were sold in shops throughout the country, including Mexico City and Acapulco. The company also began exporting jewelry in 1952.