How to Shop for Vintage Mexican Silver Jewelry

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By JasneJ
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Mexican Sterling Rope Necklace

Vintage Mexican silver jewelry has gained popularity recently with prices ranging from $50 to $5000.Beautiful handcrafted sterling silver, sometimes set with gemstones - it is addicting! Here are some tips to help you shop smarter when looking at Mexican silver.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Your eyes
A loupe or 10X magnification glass

Step 1

Inside: Early Mexican Sterling Silver Bracelet/Cuff

First, judge the overall appearance of the handcrafted Mexican silver jewelry. Feel the weight of the silver. Check for any splits in the silver. Make sure the back is smooth and shows no signs of repair. Check stones to make sure they match. Make sure the clasp is secure. If shopping online, ask questions regarding condition & their return policy.
Step 2

Early Mexican Bracelet Marked 925 (Sterling)

Beginning in the 1930's , most Mexican silver jewelry is stamped with several marks. Look inside the silver bracelet, necklace or ring. The first mark to look for is "925" - sterling silver. Sometimes, you see marks of 950, 970, 980 indicating a higher fineness of silver certain silver artists chose to create their designs. William Spratling was famous for his 980 silver jewelry.
Step 3

Bring the Loupe to Your Eye & the Jewelry Close to The Loupe

With a magnifying glass, hold the item and examine the markings. Many pieces say "Taxco".Taxco is the primary silver jewelry city in Mexico for almost 100 years. If you have a loupe, hold the loupe to your eye, and bring the jewelry to within 2 inches to view.
Step 4

Back Image of 980 Mexican Bolo Eagle 2 Artists Initials

Look for an eagle (bird) mark. This was a national registration used from 1948 - 1980 for guaranteed sterling silver jewelry. Different eagle numbers were used from 1948 - 1980.Many Mexican silver makers signed under the first eagle numbers 1, 2, 3.

After 1980, a letter and number system was used. Typically, all numbers start with "T" for Taxco.The next letter represents the first letter of the last name of the person. "TR-114"- stands for Melecio Rodrigues, the 114th artist to register.
Step 5

Spratling / Silson Bracelet

There were many famous silver designers like William Spratling, Hector Aguilar and Antonio Pineda in Mexican silver jewelry whose works bring thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, there are also faked marks, often seen in William Spratling jewelry. Also, there are authorized reproductions of famous Mexican jewelers. When in doubt, ask questions.
Step 6

An vintage Mexican Silver Bracelet with a Falsely Welded on Plate

If you purchased Mexican vintage silver on eBay, be cautious. There is a seller with over 4000 transactions falsely marking Mexican silver jewelry, often creating jewelry from junked silver jewelry. How can you tell? Look for new welded plates and complaints on other sites like mythreecents.com.

Comments

angelanyc said

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on 2/21/2009 Great video and article about antique Mexican silver jewelry! Thank you for stating to never dip your silver jewelry into the silver cleaners. I learned something new about vintage Mexican silver jewelry. You put this together very well!