CUFF PROVENANCE:

After losing his wife Ellen after being married for 56 years, I am extremely honored to have been offered this exquisite cuff of hers that Federico made for her some decades back..

Ellen & Federico actually met down in Oaxaca in the mid-60's while she was there working with the UCLA Oaxaca Market Study Research Project & Federico was involved at that time in writing articles on Oaxaca's traditional Arts & Culture..

Collecting only the finest in both sterling and gold, Ellen had quite the collection, where everything she owned was considered on the "fine-highly collectible" side,with her personal pieces being worthy enough to be in a Museum. Her knowledge extended in not only to jewelry, textiles, etc. that were produced in Mexico (With the focus on Oaxaca), but like her husband, was also a collector & quite knowledgeable in historical Native American jewelry & artifacts. A skilled curator, Ellen sat on the board of the "AUTRY MUSEUM' in LA, till the time of her death. Her & Federico have a museum in Oaxaca that shares both their names & many of her vintage gold jewelry are shown there. ("Museo Belber Jimenez")

This has been in storage for sometime now & because of who she was, makes her pieces that much more collectible , as well as Federico's name being attached to this cuff.

I want to mention that this cuff is now RARE, since Federico no longer makes them!

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THE CUFF:

Breathtakingly beautiful, this cuff is made with nothing but top notch workmanship. Federico's long time admiration for Zuni Pueblo mosaic inlaid jewelry is clearly witnessed throughout this cuff.

The butterfly is HUGE & is a sight for any eye that comes in contact with it! To do this type of work takes skill & repetition & an impeccable 'attention to detail' eye.

Made with all hand cut materials of Sleeping Beauty turquoise, black onyx, white shell & orange spiny oyster shell. If you zoom in on the photos you will notice the incredible lapidarian work in the upper wings especially, where the cuts are rounded, curved, have a scallop shaped outer edge so they look as realistic as possible. The wings & abdomen sit in their own bezel & what I absolutely love about the design, is how wire was taken that was hand wrapped & wrapped & wrapped at an even roundness that lays on the upper & bottom part of the wings..(photo 6) This accent alone takes the design up and over the edge & adds a wonderful flair to the design & especially since the sterling has built up a bit of natural darkened patina! The patina definitely gives some contrast to the vivid colors of the butterfly!

If you zoom in on photo 7 & 8 you will see the beautifully designed appliques on the sides that also adds to the cuff's beauty. The butterfly's platform sits on 2 heavy gauge 1/2 round split wires to accommodate the size of the butterfly.

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WRIST SIZE:

This cuff is NOT adjustable due to the design & metal gauge, so it's important that it fits right & it helps to know your wrist size. It is made for a wider,larger wrist size, (larger/medium to large size wrist) but a wrist that is not 'fleshy' & doesn't need a larger gap opening. This has a fairly small gap opening (1") so it's meant to fit a somewhat less 'meaty' wrist. If you are unsure of your wrist size,I suggest you click this link: "How To Fit A Cuff" and also I suggest you copy/paste the YouTube link I have there that shows the right way, you should put a cuff on! If you are not sure of your size, please go over this before purchasing.