knot jewelry

Inspired by the etching of a well-dressed skeleton created by Mexican illustrator Jose Guadalupe Posada in 1913, Guatemalan artisan Estuardo Jimenez creates a necklace with a handmade sterling silver skull pendant. The original drawing, called La Calavera Catrina, had the skeleton wearing a large and ornate hat and was meant as a satire of Mexicans who wished to emulate upper-class Europeans. This Catrina has an engraved leaf and flower head covering rather than a hat and hangs from black cotton cord. Openwork gives the skull the appearance of facial features. The necklace can be made longer or shorter using the sliding knot on the cord.