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Oscar Figueroa Escorcia

"I was born in the city of Taxco, Guerrero on February 2, 1964. I studied until secondary school in the same city. I then traveled to the city of Toluca in the state of Mexico to study high school and later, in Mexico City, a college degree in Business Administration. Later, I studied Marketing at a post-graduate level.

"Growing up in a silversmith environment, especially since my city is recognized worldwide for its silver jewelry, I decide to venture into this same business. In 1983, at 19 years old, I begin to elaborate my own designs, commercializing them in the national market. It took four years to prepare me in the design and elaboration of my own lines. Studying in the School of Silver and Design in the Taxco campus of the University of Mexico is how I began to export. Initially it was to the United States of North America, later and thanks to the acceptance of my jewelry, the panorama broadened to include Europe and South America. Now, I retain these markets and am venturing into the Asian market.

"The process begins with the melting of pure silver that is purchased in small grains, forming an alloy with a minute amount of copper to give the metal a better consistency and to be able to work with it. That is why it is .925 silver. Once the metal is melted, the obtained sheet is passed through a laminator to get sheets, wires, cases, etc. Once we have the metal and it is ready to be worked, the designs to be elaborated are placed on certain areas of the sheets. They are cut, then sanded on all sides. In the case of bracelets and necklaces, they are put together using wires already specific to the intended design, flat, triangular, square, etc. They are joined with silver welding using a gas welding torch and this is how they begin to take on shape whether it is flat, twisted, concave, etc. The size and specifications of each product are double checked to see if any corrections are necessary. Once joined, the pieces are submerged in nitric acid to clean it and leave it white. After, if the design requires stones, the stones are applied and adjusted according to the design. Finally, the pieces are polished by hand with cotton cloths over a polisher with a small motor using a special paste. It is in this step that the surface of the piece is given its smoothness and now it is ready to shine with a mirror finish. To clean impurities from the piece, it is submerged in an ultrasound tub to pass the quality control test where they accept or reject pieces.

"My collections are based in the origin and traditions of our culture, others are classic and others follow the tendencies of the current trend. When the designs are well thought out in the varied original materials of our country, it is easy to create jewelry lending beauty and elegance to the wearer."