Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico is famous for its beautiful colonial architecture, narrow cobbled streets, and for being the hometown of jeweler, Daniel Espinosa, who has attained star status in Latin America for his bold and innovative use of Mexican silver in combination with precious and semi-precious gemstones in his jewelry designs. In a potentially rocky marriage of business and creativity, his unique and exciting designs successfully keep 350 artisans in this mecca of silver production busy producing more than 10,000 pieces a month.
Daniel Espinosa launched his business in 1989 and he has since become the most important Mexican jewelry designer in the world. His super-trendy boutiques have been popping up everywhere from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to Europe and Asia, and most recently in my hometown of Toronto, Canada. Considered an avant garde rebel, his pieces are regularly scooped up by the world’s glitterati like Susan Sarandon, Madonna, Halle Berry, Daisy Fuentes, Eva Longorin, Nelly Furtado, Hilary Duff, and Greek kings, amongst other notable individuals.
Not surprisingly, Daniel Espinosa studied art in Florence, fashion in Holland, international marketing in New York, and jewelry design at GIA (Gemological Institute of America). These various studies have enhanced a creativity that is innately born of the Latin American passion for personal adornment. His seductive work incorporates a multitude of random elements, some never before used in jewelry, masterfully combined with silver. This eclectic mix uses silver as a unifying element to retro tiger’s eye, a riot of multi-colored cubic zirconias, recycled glass from TV screens of the 40´s and 50´s that he discovered in the Philippines, industrial-use cork, and other interesting and oversized precious and semi-precious stones set in sculptural sterling silver chokers, hoops, wrist cuffs, necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets, and brooches. The mix and match appeal throughout the various collections makes collecting Daniel Espinosa jewelry an especially interesting, fun, and satisfying pastime.
I spent at least an hour studying his designs online at Daniel Espinosa. This lavish virtual art show featuring the charming tagline, “Beauty never ends…” will enchant jewelry lovers everywhere and inspire anyone studying fashion and jewelry design, to be the very best they can be. Collecting these pieces will give anything in your wardrobe instant drama and pizzazz! The Infinito Collection includes five different facets. 'Vanilla' is a collection of geometric perfection featuring chunky silver cubes, oblongs, and discs—some smooth, some hammered and in varying sizes—used dramatically in chokers, bracelets, earrings, and rings. The 'Excess' collection uses large shiny silver rounded teardrops with colorful stones nestled inside this appealing flowing shape. Heart shaped stones are also used and the collection includes a bold profusion of multi-colored crystals, large brightly colored rings, and a thick silver choker strung with dangling silver oblong-shaped discs, and matching earrings. 'Saint-Tropez' includes a long flowing necklace with silver cubes and gemstone cubes and matching earrings. I particularly love the round disc earrings and a gorgeous ring topped with multi-colored stones in a gemstone bouquet. Another beautiful and unusual piece is the toggle clasp bracelet with cross charms.
The 'Crepusculo' collection shows only a couple of photos, but what I see looks beautiful. Bold black with gold is the signature of this collection and the black leather cord necklace with dangling hearts is very unusual and attractive in its symmetry. Pretty chandelier earrings with black stones, and an amazing ring with black stones piled high atop are also standouts. The final collection shown is 'Day & Night' and is distinguished by its riotous gleaming silver balls and other elongated round shapes and black leather cord. This enthusiastic profusion of shapes is simultaneously wild and elegant.
Ever inspired by his colorful hometown, Daniel Espinosa’s creativity is renewed by watching a Galliano parade or the great spectacle of the Guelaguetza in Oaxaca. Simply strolling through the streets of Taxco, taking in the vista of white marble combined with white stones that dominate the town’s colonial architecture, gives fuel to his imagination. Exulting Mexico’s rich silver resource is his goal, and his dream is to give Mexican silver a well-deserved place on the world stage as the epitome of quality silver.
Found within these various environmental influences and the artist’s moods, inspiration for new collections are born. Twice a year Daniel Espinosa and his staff hunker down for two or three weeks to create his collections and they do not leave until the collection is complete. This dedication to the design process, attention to detail, and of course, his willingness to go where others dare not go, is what sets Daniel Espinosa’s designs apart from all others—it’s what makes him a creative genius!
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