Necklace of Silver Plaques or Wafers

A necklace of silver plaques, or wafers, each separated by a single silver bead, builds a piece from the rhythmic alternation of flat panel and round spacer. The wafers carry the light across broad surfaces while the small beads articulate the joints between them, a design that is both substantial and supple around the neck.

The necklace dates from the first design period, 1931 to 1946, the founding years of Spratling's Las Delicias taller in Taxco. Its effect comes from repetition and proportion rather than from any stone or figure.

Plaque-and-bead necklaces are among the more architectural pieces of early Spratling jewelry, valued for the way the flat panels read as a continuous band of silver.