ABOUT THE ARTIST::

Designed by Matilde Poulat (known as "Matl," Aztec for "Water"), she has long been one of my personal favorites — a designer/pioneer who rose to prominence during the Mexican Silver Renaissance and continued to influence jewelry and design thereafter. Originally a painter and designer, Matilde was born in the Yucatán and later studied at the San Carlos Academy in Mexico City, attending at the same time as the famed muralist Diego Rivera, husband of Frida Kahlo. She opened her shop in 1934 and developed a distinctive signature look that remains celebrated; to this day collectors and admirers continue to pay homage to her timeless designs.

She produced some of the most ornate jewelry being made in Mexico in those earlier days, creating pieces that stood out for their intricate detail and sumptuous workmanship that no other designers were doing, or in the way in which she was designing them. She had a style all her own that makes her work very identifiable.

The motifs she returned to drew heavily from the Mixtec traditions of the Monte Albán region in Oaxaca, reflecting a deep respect for ancient forms and local iconography. While each designer of the Mexican Silver Renaissance developed a distinct signature, it was Matilde who introduced and popularized the romantic doves into her jewelry, the stylized flowers, and tiny bells that evoke the playful, poetic subjects of contemporary Mexican folk art. The beauty of her metalwork was achieved through painstaking, time-consuming techniques with their lavish, richly ornamented character that was so often described as Baroque in spirit, yet possessed an unmistakably Mexican aesthetic.

She was known for laying round turquoise or coral cabochons together in a single bezel that was then crimped to hold the stones and or beads in place, rather than setting each stone individually, which gives her pieces a distinctly unified and striking appearance. Another of her signature techniques was the chasing work she did in the metal, as well as her use of pyramidal-cut amethyst. Each piece she made is a work of art.

From highly recognized political figures to well-known Hollywood elites—and even Frida Kahlo—these admirers couldn’t get enough of Matl’s work and added pieces to their own private collections that now can be seen to be going as high into the 5 figure prices!

THE CUFF LINKS:

Finding Poulat’s cufflinks from this time period is not only incredibly uncommon, but they are truly RARE and hard to find, since her creativity was dominated primarily by elaborate necklaces, ornate religious crosses, intricate earrings, and decorative pins, etc.. So these weren't the easiest to come across!

They are some of her earlier works(1934-1948) that feature a garland of tiny salmon color coral beads that were meticulously channel-set around a medium saturated faceted Amethyst oval..

With about a 3/8” depth, figure 8 type “scroll work” sits sandwiched between the very bottom base & the top and then follows the form of the oval shape cufflink.

They can be worn by a man or a woman—whether you’re a business professional or a server at a restaurant (and many other professions besides!). But above all, these cufflinks are for anyone who adores the work of Poulat and the exceptional jewelry produced during Mexico’s earliest years. These can be proudly worn at any black tie Mexican Event, as well!!

These cufflinks lack the 'eagle' hallmark, which started in 1948, in which everything coming in or out of Mexico had to be stamped with this.

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ARTIST: Matilde Poulat (MATL)

CIRCA: 1934-1948

MEASUREMENT: 7/8" Length x 3/4" x 3/8” depth

WEIGHT: 19.4 Grams

METAL: Sterling Silver

METAL FINISH: Slightly Patinated

MATERIAL: Salmon Color Coral-Faceted Amethyst

STONE CUTS: Round-Oval

STONE SIZE: Coral: 2.5 mm -Amethyst: 10 mm x 6.4 mm

HALLMARK: Matl (AKA: Matilde Poulat)-925

CONDITION: Used-Completely Wearable-All stones are in tact, No cracks, chips, nor loose stones-A couple of the beads were laid where you can see the hole of the bead, but someone from the outside would have to look close or have it pointed out to see them. (See photo 5) Remember though with close up photos, everything is enlarged & more magnified than when you get them in hand!

Comes Gift Boxed

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SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT:

Anything with this kind of price tag, will have a mandatory signature confirmation requirement. If you're not home in the day & need them shipped where they can be signed for, please change that in your "Ship To" section before I create the shipping label***I'm sorry if this may be an inconvenience, but I do not ship expensive pieces without one. This is for your safety & mine.

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PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING:
*****I do not consider myself a 'professional photographer" but I do try to give you photos that are 'realistic in color.. Please understand that all screen monitors are different, so the materials can look brighter (or duller) ,more intense or less intense from one computer/phone to the next.

In order to give you close up photos so I can provide you with all the detail, the photos can tend to make the item look GIGANTIC & everything is more magnified & exaggerated than in actuality. When you get them in hand, you do not notice as much, as what looks more extreme in the photos. So to get an accurate idea of how big these are, what you can do is pull out a tape measure & compare to my given measurements listed above.