ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Alfredo Villasana was a Taxco artist & was the manager for both William Spratling & Hector Aguilar in the 1930's,before branching off on his own..Villasana became known for doing some of the finest repousse work that you may ever come across, as well as designing some of THE best clamper style bracelets that came out of Taxco back in the day.I personally have many favorite Taxco artisans that were known during the Mexican Silver Renaissance Days, but do have to admit that Villasana sits high on on my list for his precise repousse work that are truly time consuming works of art!!

If you are not familiar with what repousse is,it is where the metal is worked from the backside to get the relief lift on the front,top side.When they go to pound the metal,they have to have good dexterity, a super steady hand,a good eye & some mathematical skills for the design to be accurate, since any little mistake is then shown on the front side.. This technique is not something that can be learned overnight & literally takes years to become as skilled as Villasana was.I would call him a "Master" artisan at this.

*********************

THE CLAMPER:

I would consider this a true piece of art,but rather than using paint brushes & paints, this is artfully designed in "Metal Form" done in sterling. It's made where you have this whole scene though out the bracelet that emulates the Colonial town of Taxco and that has a scene of a traditionally dress Mexican man climbing the hilled streets that have large cactus plants & Spanish tile houses..These subjects are done with both repousse & overlaid techniques.

This is an incredible piece of Mexican history,during the time when many artisans (including Villasana) were coming up & hit the international platform by storm..Now their work is some of the most collectible in modern day,with many collector's going back to the "Root" of when & where it all began.

**PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING:

This is made for a 'Hard to Find" tiny wrist.I have about a 5-3/4" wrist & there's a little room for movement, but fits me well without flopping around & stays put. I do want to mention that clamper bracelets are not put on like a bangle,nor like a cuff.They are unique for the fact that they have their own genre identity. Being careful not to hurt or wear out the spring, what I find that works, is by 'gently' opening it by using my arm to open it & letting my arm do the work by gently forcing it to open it. The spring is strong & you don't want to hurt the spring because it's very rare to find a jeweler that can repair them if something were to happen...So if you've never owned a clamper, it's important you follow this instruction..