William Spratling was an American architect who arrived in Taxco, Mexico in the late 1920s and is credited with establishing the town as the centre of Mexican silver production. He opened his workshop, Taller de las Delicias, in 1931 and at his peak employed over 500 silversmiths. He drew on pre-Columbian and indigenous Mexican motifs rather than European design conventions, combining sterling silver with materials native to the region: amethyst, turquoise, obsidian, coral, malachite, ebony, rosewood, tortoise shell and gold. He did not believe in setting imported stones, working instead with what was available in and around Taxco. Spratling died in 1967 and his designs were subsequently purchased by Alberto Ulrich, continuing under Sucesores de William Spratling S.A. de C.V., using the original tools, moulds and methods. Pieces produced since 1979 carry the Mexican registry mark TS-24 alongside a replica of Spratling's original hallmark. South West Trader stocks both vintage estate pieces and current production, across cuffs, rings, necklaces, brooches and earrings. His work is collected internationally and rarely found in Australia.
