Turquoise and Coral Link Necklace
Sterling Silver, Turquoise, Coral and Amethyst Link Necklace by MATL. This iconic example of mid-century Mexican jewelry design features a center medallion embellished with turquoise and coral beads. The focal point of the medallion is an amethyst cabochon stone as well as five linked teardrops of silver with coral dots. The necklace has linked segments that connect the medallion with the turquoise and coral closure. The total length is 20″.
International Artist: Matilde “Matl” Poulat
Educated as an artist and designer, Matilde Poulat, known by “Matl”, turned her talented hands to jewelry making a 1934. “MATL” is the signature on her jewelry – a combination of her name and the Aztec word “atl”, meaning water.
Her pieces are unique baroque forms with delicate texture detailing repousse work with hand chasing. The pieces are often channel set with a multitude of tiny coral and turquoise stones and feature her signature palomas (doves) in the design.
In art school Poulat befriended Diego Rivera and his wife Frida Kahlo become a collector of Poulat’s jewelry. Poulat’s work is the most famous and intricate that the Mexican Silver Renaissance has ever produced.
Poulat trained her nephew, Ricardo Salas, as a jeweler and they worked side by side for years. After her death in 1960, he continued to run the shop and create pieces in the Matl style. Today, Omar Gabriel Tadeo Juárez, fourth generation in the Poulat family, continues the Matl jewelry-making tradition.