A Jewelry Tour of Taxco, Mexico
Recently, the designer Daniel Espinosa invited me to his beautiful hometown (about a two-hour drive from Mexico City) to see his jewelry factory and learn how some of his beautiful creations are hand-crafted. Here are some notes from my trip.
1
I fell in love with the all-white buildings of Taxco, which match the town’s white Volkswagen beetle taxis.
2
After our road trip, I went to a silver factory, where I watched these tiny, pure silver balls melt under a blowtorch into a liquid. In a matter of seconds, I was able to hold a solid bar of silver in my hands.
3
Each gold bead is hammered by hand.
4
One of my favorite parts of the factory was the bead room. It was full of endless colors—from black onyx to white pearls—in all shapes and sizes.
5
Dyed chains hanging in factory in Taxco, Mexico.
6
I made a quick stop at the Museo Nacional de Anthropologia, where I was entranced by the jade death masks. Morbid, yes, but the gem lover in me could not help it!
7
I couldn’t go to Mexico City and not stop by the Frida Kahlo museum; Casa Azul was beautiful.
8
When I first saw this giant chandelier, I thought about the silversmiths in Taxco who had handmade each silver chain. I was almost instantly distracted by the jewelry, though, and began trying it on.
9
On my last night, I attended Daniel’s store opening and dinner at Saks Fifth Avenue and I couldn’t help snapping a quick pic of the pretty purple flower arrangements and a sneak peek at the seating arrangement.
10
Daniel Espinosa.
