Tag Archives: Brigitte Huet

15 Pieces: Mixed Mexican Jewelry For Sale

I’m getting ready to return to Oaxaca next week with a stopover in Mexico City to lead the Art History Tour focusing on the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, plus the other noted early 20th century Mexican muralists. (Want to hop down? One space open!)

Before I leave the USA, I usually go through my collection to review what I want to part with. The 15-piece selection is below. Look carefully!

To Buy: Send me an email to norma.schafer@icloud.com with your name, address, and item number. I will send you an invoice to pay with credit card. Once I receive your funds, I will mail via USPS to anywhere in the USA. Prices include mailing cost. Please buy and pay before Sunday, October 13, 2019. I return to Mexico on October 16. Thank you VERY much.

#1 Oaxaca Sterling Silver Yalalag Cross with Virgin of Juquila milagros

This is a one-of-a-kind completely handmade necklace, with handmade hollow silver beads and cast milagros in the image of the Virgin of Juquila, a venerated icon. You’ll never see anything like this again. When clasped, it hangs 20-inches. There are 15 milagros, including the three on the suspended cross. Two additional milagros make up the secure hook clasp. This is a collector’s piece. Price is $995. USD including mailing to anywhere in the USA. (Half the price of Federico with more silver.)

Oaxaca Filigree Dangle Earrings, left is #L-2A and right is #R-2B

These are famed Oaxaca filigree dangle earrings made by the best artisan silversmith I know. The ones on the left are called Muñecas and have a deep ruby red glass center to accent the sterling silver and pearls. The pair on the right are also an impressive statement piece, pearl and sterling with more of the filigree featured. Each pair has a 2-1/2″ drop from where the wire enters the earlobe, and is $245 each (includes mailing to anywhere in the USA).

Don’t like a price? Make me a reasonable offer!

SOLD. #3 Vintage Coral and Sterling Silver Oaxaca Milagro Necklace
Detail #3, all milagros are hand-cast sterling silver

#3 is an outstanding necklace, 22″ long, that I found at an out-of-the-way Oaxaca vintage antique shop. It was too beautiful to pass up and I added it to my collection. Now it’s time for a new home! $595 includes mailing to anywhere in USA.

Left earrings #4. Right top bangle #5. Vintage bubble bracelet #6.

#4 are among the last pairs of earrings I have made Brigitte Huet, who worked in Oaxaca for 20+ years before she returned to France in 2015. They are formed using the lost wax casting technique, and are 2″ long. $145 USD includes mailing to anywhere in the USA.

#5 is a sterling silver Mexican bubble bangle is made in Taxco, Guerrero. I’m very picky about quality, and this one is the best. 6″ interior diameter opening. Measure your wrist! $165 includes mailing to anywhere in the USA.

#6 is a rare vintage sterling silver Mexican bubble bracelet with native turquoise and hook clasp made in Taxco, Guerrero. It is in very good condition and measures 7-1/4″ long. $185 USD includes mailing to anywhere in the USA.

Don’t like a price? Make me a reasonable offer.

#7 purple earrings. #8 yellow earrings. #9 hot pink earrings.

#7, #8, and #9 are jicara gourd, hand-carved and painted, made in Pinotepa de Don Luis, Oaxaca, Mexico. I hand-select each pair for design quality and workmanship excellence. 2-1/2 to 3″ long. Lightweight, versatile, easy to wear. $45 each includes mailing to anywhere in USA. Please specify color and number when ordering. Thank you.

Earrings: #10 love birds. #11 circle flowers. #12 Maya Gods Pendant. #13 cornflowers.
#12 detail, sterling silver Brigitte Huet Maya Gods Pendant, 1″w x 1-1/2″ long, $185

#12. This is a rare Brigitte Huet sterling silver pendant made in the lost wax casting technique. It is from her earliest collection. Price includes mailing to anywhere in USA.

#10 love birds, sterling silver, coral and garnet, $175 USD

#10 are made by the Mazahua silversmiths of Estado de Mexico. I bought these in Mexico City. Difficult to find now. 3″ long from where wire enters earlobe to end of coral drop. Will mail free to anywhere in USA.

Don’t like a price? Make me a reasonable offer.

#11 top and #13 bottom, Melesio Rodriquez 950 sterling earrings

These are 950 sterling silver made by fine Mexican jeweler Melesio Rodriguez. They are each 1-1/4″ long. The design is derived from vintage 1950’s Taxco silversmithing. $165 each pair. Includes mailing to anywhere in USA. Please specify which pair you want by number.

#14 sterling silver Brigitte Huet bracelet with toggle clasp, 7-1/2″ long, $395
Inside detail #14 Brigitte Huet sterling silver bracelet with her mark

#14 was purchased around 2007 from Brigitte when she was working in Oaxaca using the lost wax casting technique. Her fine work was collected by travelers and residents alike. Rare to still find a piece like this. The iconography is Maya representing the huipil woven designs of noblewomen. $435 USD includes mailing to anywhere in the USA.

SOLD. #15 vintage Lake Patzcuaro fish necklace, 17″ long

#15 was bought in Patzcuaro, Michoacan in the early 1990’s. Rare. The fish is the iconic symbol of the region. Handmade silver beads and chain add interest along with the red beans from which the fish are suspended. Whimsical, beautiful, strong and secure with a hook clasp. $295 includes mailing to anywhere in the USA.

Silver Jewelry Makers to Leave Oaxaca

Silversmiths Brigitte Huet and her husband Ivan Campant are making their last sterling silver jewelry castings in December 2013.  They will dismantle their Oaxaca Kand-art studio in early January 2014 to prepare for a permanent move to Brittany, France in early spring.  For over twenty years, Brigitte and Ivan have been carving intricate, traditional  Mexican designs derived from Azetc, Mixtec and Zapotec symbology using the ancient lost wax casting method.   Sadness does not begin to express how I feel about this.  It is a creative loss for Oaxaca.

Here is a message from Brigitte and Ivan to share with you:

Dear Friends,

I write because we may have met in Oaxaca, during one of our trips to the United States, or in a jewelry making workshop you attended.  Perhaps you collected and wear one of our jewelry creations.  I write to share this news with you.  

My husband Ivan and I are returning to France in March 2014 where we will live permanently.  It has been a difficult decision since Oaxaca has been our home for over 20 years and we have met many wonderful people like you during the time we have lived and worked here.

We want to stay connected to you and hope you will join our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005496314184where we post photographs and the process of how we work.   There will be new designs to come, too.  We will create these after we settle into our new home in France.  My Facebook email is brigittes.huet@gmail.com or kandamex@yahoo.com

Who knows ?  Perhaps you will come to visit us there or we will see you again somewhere else!  Maybe even in Oaxaca!  Thank you for your interest and support of our work.  We appreciate it.

Con besos y abrazos – with kisses and hugs – a bientôt – until we meet again,

Brigitte Huet and Ivan Campant

***

Their work can be found at El Nahual Gallery, 5 de Mayo, Central Historico, Oaxaca.  They are also accepting special orders which they will cast and make before they leave.  For any of you who know their work, you know how finely detailed it is, the quality of the workmanship, and the love and caring that goes into each piece.  For those of us who love Mexico, Kandart work represents a contemporary interpretation of pre-Hispanic life and reverence for the forces of nature:  earth, wind, fire, water, sun and moon, soaring eagle, grecas and caracols.  The codices become wearable art.

Yesterday, Brigitte and Ivan came to the casita for lunch.  They brought with them treasured plants to entrust in my care.  I promise to care for them well.  We talk about their future and leaving Oaxaca.  We talk about how everything they own must fit into one small shipping container.  We talk about how tourism has changed since the 2006 APPO demonstrations, fear of drug violence, and the economic crash of 2009.

I am reading Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart by Mark Epstein, M.D., a Buddhist psychiatrist-therapist.  He talks about transience and letting go.  He reminds me of the impermanence of all things.  He tells  me to be mindful of each moment and the beauty therein.  To be is more important than to do.

This is a perfect lesson for me as I begin to say goodbye to Brigitte and Ivan.  They are leaving Oaxaca but they are not leaving my life.  A bientot.  Until the next time.  Perhaps in Bretagne.

Make Mexican Sterling Silver Jewelry: Workshop in Oaxaca

Learn to make sterling silver jewelry — rings, pendants, earrings — using the ancient lost-wax process.  This is an excellent introduction to wax carving and sling casting techniques, plus the finish work needed to laminate, stretch, cut, file, solder, polish and buff your piece.

Comprehensive 3-Day Silver Jewelry Workshop: $325

             Offered most Fridays-Saturdays-Sundays throughout the year.  Contact us to schedule a custom workshop to suit your travel plans!

Class size is limited to 4 people.

You do not need to be experienced.  
 Beginners welcome.
We work closely with each participant to suit each person’s individual learning styles and needs in a safe learning environment.   Whether you are a visitor to Oaxaca and want to add this experience to your travel itinerary or you live here, we welcome your participation.  Brigitte and Ivan speak French, English, and Spanish and they are happy to translate as they teach.

Workshop Schedule:

  • Day One:  9 a.m. to late afternoon, with a lunch break (bring your own lunch).  We may end at 5 or 6 p.m., depending on group size.
  • Day Two: 10 a.m. to late afternoon, with a  lunch break (bring your own lunch).  We may end at 5 or 6 p.m., depending on group size.
  • Day Three: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with one hour lunch break (bring your own lunch).

During the first two days, you will:

  • Choose and reproduce a design based on ancient Mixtec, Aztec, Mayan and Zapotec symbols
  • Carve, build-up and sculpt a 3-dimensional Kand-art design in wax for a pendant or a ring
  • Prepare the casting flask with plaster for your piece
  • Attend to the oven with the flask in the charcoal
  • Participate with supervised instruction to cast the silver in the mold
  • Learn how to use the sling to cast your own work in the future
  • Hand-finish, buff and polish your piece so it is ready-to-wear

All materials, tools, instruction and your sterling silver piece are included in the course fee.

On Day Three, you will have an Introduction to Classical Jewelry Making.  You will learn to use classical jewelers’ tools: the laminator, pliers, saws, electric motor, solder torch, and do finish work using different grades of sandpaper to clean, polish and buff.  In this session you will learn how to melt the quantity of metal you will need, laminate it, stretch it, cut it, and solder the different elements of a design together.  Using the techniques you learn, you will build up a small silver pendant or a pair of earrings ready to wear, choosing a design among the ones we offer you.

Sue Baldassano from New York says … I spent two lovely days  learning to  make jewelry with Brigitte and Ivan in Oaxaca, Mexico. It felt great to be in a working studio with artists.  They were both passionate about their work and seemed to enjoy sharing their knowledge. They were patient, kind and open to my personal artistic style. The  surroundings were comfortable and I never felt rushed in any way.  I came home with not only a beautiful necklace but an appreciation for  the art of jewelry making.

About the Lost-Wax Process.  In many cultures in South America, as well as Africa and India, gold and silversmiths used the technique of lost-wax casting to create complex and delicate shapes.  The item to be cast is first modeled in wax and a clay mold is built around it with a small hole piercing the mold.  The mold is baked until the wax melts and runs out of the mold through the hole.  The molten material is then poured through the same hole into the empty cavity.  After it cools and hardens the mold is broken open and the casting is removed and cleaned.

Lost Wax Workshop Photos: The Process and the Product

    

All materials, tools, instruction and your sterling silver piece are included in the course fee.

I had a wonderful workshop experience.  Thank you for the class of a life-time. For a serious jewelry student, this is an opportunity that I doubt is available anywhere else in the Americas – and certainly not at this price.  –Beryl Simon

  

    

Carol Egan from New Jersey says … I absolutely loved the three-day workshop for making Mexican sterling silver! I learned how to carve in wax and cast a sterling silver pendant/ring. I also made earings and a carved ring. I found the casting in the ancient sling facinating! Absolutely everything is done from scratch as it has been done through the history of silver jewelry making. I worked with three master jewelers. You will love the work of Brigitte, Ivan and Ricardo! I learned to saw metal and solder using the torch, and then polish my piece. If you really want to learn how to make silver jewelry this is the class. The teachers are very kind and professional. They are also patient guiding you through each step. If you wish to make some of your own designs this must be organized a head of time. They have this down to a science. If you are serious about making silver jewelry this is the class for you!

Photos of Classical Jewelry Making Process and Product

           

Who Should Attend: You do not have to be an experienced jeweler or artist to participate!  Beginners are welcome.

  • Artists
  • Hobbyists
  • Jewelry designers
  • Aspiring jewelers
  • Anyone who wants to have fun and make something special

About Your Workshop Leaders—Brigitte Huet and Ivan Campant, Kand-Art Jewelry Workshop

Kand-Art creations are inspired by pre-Hispanic symbols and carved in high relief.  The jewelry has been exhibited and sold in galleries throughout the United States and in Oaxaca, and many have collected their work over time whenever they return to Oaxaca, or when Brigitte and Ivan travel to the U.S. for private shows.  Kand-Art Jewelry designs are in private collections throughout the world.

Brigitte Huet.  Brigitte Huet attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts and majored in art history at university in France.  She was the first young woman apprentice accepted into the studio of a Lorraine, France, master jeweler where she learned to work in silver before emigrating to Oaxaca in 1993.  Brigitte is an experienced classroom teacher as well as a talented jewelry designer.  Her designs are fluid, interpretive and elegant.

Ivan Campant.  Fascinated by the Mayan culture, Ivan is an accomplished self-taught artist and musician.  His jewelry designs are detailed, intricate, textural and complex and incorporate many of the Mayan symbols that intrigue him.  He began carving wax designs for the jewelry soon after he and Brigitte arrived in Oaxaca from France.  An older Zapotec jeweler – a master craftsman – taught Ivan how to use the traditional sling for casting the silver in the ancient technique.

Workshop Location.  The workshop will be held in the Oaxaca, Mexico home studio of Brigitte and Ivan, in a neighborhood about 10-15 minutes from the historic center of Oaxaca.  Transportation at your own expense.  You can take a taxi (40-50 pesos [$4-5 USD] one-way) or a local bus.  We’ll give you more details and directions after you register.  Brigitte and Ivan will call a taxi to return you to the historic center at the end of the workshop day.

Meals.  All meals are on your own and at your own expense.  Most of our participants bring their own lunch.  There is a lovely local market, Mercado de Santa Rosa, two blocks from the studio, where you can shop and bring your food back to the studio.  There is a lovely patio garden where you can take lunch and refreshments.

Lodging.  All lodging is on your own/at your own expense.  This gives you the flexibility to choose the level of accommodation that best suits your travel preferences.  You make and pay for your own hotel reservations. We can offer suggestions and contact information for places to stay.    If you are interested in recommendations, let me know.

Marty Knight from North Carolina says …  I recently spent a few fabulous weeks in and around Oaxaca.  A highlight of the trip was the lost wax silver “experience” with Brigitte and Ivan.  With their clear and masterful  instructions and their hands-on teaching techniques I never felt overwhelmed. One of the many benefits of taking classes with them was learning about the highly developed pre-Columbian Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations.  Their positive and always helpful attitude made me want to go further.  And, in fact, I did.  I extended the original class to make a beautiful, original design ring that has received many compliments and even offers to buy it off my finger! I have taken jewelry courses as a hobby for several years but this was the most enlightening instruction to date.  I’m looking forward to more instruction from Brigitte and Ivan and Ricardo, a local silver expert, in the future.  Do yourself and favor and spend some time learning from Brigitte and Ivan.

Reservations and Cancellations.   Full payment is required to guarantee your spot.  We prefer Payment with PayPal.    We will send you an invoice. If cancellation is necessary, please notify us in writing by email 45 days before the start of the workshop and we will refund 50% of your course fee.   After that, no refunds are possible.

We strongly recommend that you take out trip cancellation, baggage, emergency evacuation and medical insurance before you begin your trip, since unforeseen circumstances are possible.

To register or for questions, contact us by email or Skype: oaxacaculture

This workshop is produced by Norma Hawthorne, Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC.

Oaxaca, Mexico Brigitte Huet Sterling Silver Jewelry Designs


"Lady" Earrings, $120 and Bracelet, $370 for the medium, and $410 for large

Brigitte Huet, Kand-Art jewelry designs, has lived and worked in Oaxaca for over 25 years.  She has a large following of very loyal clients from around the world. She recently sent me some great photos of her designs and the price list.  I have many of these pieces available for sale with shipment from my home in the U.S.

4 Elements pendent, $150; earrings, $110; chain (inquire), bracelet, $570 (not pictured)

All the sales go directly to Brigitte.  I make no commission!  If you are interested in a purchase, please let me know by email.  I am happy to send you dimensions.

"Circulos" bracelet, $270 and earrings, $95; Counting chain bar and circle design

"Gift Air" Pendant, $175 and Bracelet, $500; Aztec Eagle Design

"Vision" serpent pendant, $160 and earrings, $85

You can contact Brigitte directly.

"Mystic Dream" Collar (pendant with attached chain), $400

 

North Carolina Welcomes Oaxaca Jewelry Designer Brigitte Huet in April 2011

Brigitte Huet is coming to the U.S. and North Carolina at the end of April 2011 to exhibit and sell her extraordinary work.  We will offer two showings, one on the evening of April 28, in Chapel Hill, NC and the other on the evening of April 29 in Pittsboro, NC.  This is a great opportunity if you live within driving distance to come and see some of the most creative jewelry designs coming out of Mexico today.  They are substantial yet comfortable to wear and definitely make an eye-catching fashion statement.  You won’t find anything like this unless you travel to Oaxaca, Mexico.