Margot de Taxco Jewelry

Posted by Laurie Zeiden on May 01, 2017

Margot von Voorhies Carr, commonly referred to as Margot de Taxco, is a designer known for her high quality sterling silver jewelry, both with and without enamel.

Not a great deal is known about Margot's early life, but in 1937 the American-born divorcee left San Francisco for Mexico City. It was there she met and befriended Antonio Castillo with whom she traveled to Taxco, the Mexican city known for its design, crafting, and production of silver jewelry, flatware, and objects. Castillo would later become her second husband. He opened Los Castillo Taller where Margot worked as the principal designer.

Their marriage ended after about ten years. With money from the settlement, Margot opened her own taller (workshop) in 1948. Her silver work was extremely popular and in 1955 she began applying enamel to most of her pieces. At the height of her successful business, Margot employed about 24 silversmiths and 12 enamalists.

Margot's work was heavily influenced by Japanese design, Pre-Columbian design, Mexican design and the Art Deco movement.

Pieces by Margot de Taxco are stamped with her name, Eagle 16 (and sometimes for earliest work, Eagle 1) and a production number. The Eagle stamp was a government issued mark used to identify manufacturers.

A fire in 1960 forced Margot to move her studio and financial difficulties followed. Although continuing in business until the late-1970’s, her business was eventually closed due to overwhelming debts. After closing the shop in 1978, several of her silversmiths were granted permission to use her molds and designs in exchange for debts owed to them. For this reason, Margot pieces are often misidentified. Pieces using the Margot molds by silversmiths who once worked for her, such as Jaimie Quiroz and Geronimo Fuentes, bear their hallmarks, not hers.