Earrings with Amethyst Flowers

Amethyst flowers form these earrings, the violet stone carved into blossoms rather than left as plain cabochons: the floral treatment of the Mexican semiprecious stone was a theme Spratling developed across several pieces. The carved-stone flower gives the earrings both color and a naturalistic subject in a single element.

The motif ran through the workshop's jewelry. Per the existing record amethyst flowers appeared in pins, a bracelet, and these earrings, a single idea worked across a small family of designs, and the existing record notes that many other designers copied the motif, evidence of its influence within the wider Taxco trade. The flowers belong to the First Design Period, 1931 to 1946.

The earrings are recorded in Penny C. Morrill and Carole A. Berk's Mexican Silver and in Phyllis M. Goddard's Spratling Silver: A Field Guide. Carved-amethyst flower jewelry is among the more recognizable of the early designs and is sought by collectors.