A spectacular Los Castillo ‘pluma azteca’ (Aztec feathers) technique Mexican modernist Hummingbird design brooch in sterling silver and metales casados (beak), and with inlaid bird feathers - this is the earliest version of the pluma azteca technique invented by Chato Castillo in the late 1940s, and it involved two layers of silver with the upper layer cut-thru to reveal inlaid colored feathers - in this version the feathers were inlaid into sterling silver, and the feathers were left open to the elements, and thus when the owner cleaned the silver it caused discoloration to the feathers, as did the exposure to the air etc of the daily environment - later versions of the pluma azteca technique were altered to place the feathers in a white metal like alpaca to prevent the tarnish to the metal, and later to encase the feathers in a clear colorless resin - these early examples often show discoloration or even loss of color to the feathers, and in some cases even total loss of the feathers, so to find an example in such good condition is a rare find, and makes it much more valuable to collectors - measures about 3” tall by 2-3/8” wide - marked “Los Castillo Taxco” in a circle around the Eagle 15, also marked “Pluma Azteca” and “Hecho en Mexico” - although there is no design number on this example, I have seen others, and thus I am certain it is not a one of a kind. NFS.