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Visitors from Canada and the United States are sure to notice that silver
is pretty darn inexpensive in Mazatlán. But how inexpensive is too inexpensive?
How do you know if you're buying real silver? Here are a few easy ways to
distinguish the real thing. We asked for the expertise of Cristina Vazquez,
owner of Madonna. Madonna is a store specializing in silver, gold and handicrafts.
Madonna has two convenient locations: in the Golden Zone and near El Patio
restaurant. Since she has specialized in silver for over ten, Cristina has
become quite an expert on the subject. The best way to tell if an object
is real silver, advises Cristina, is to look for the marks. Real Mexican
silver always has two, sometimes three marks-- or stamps-- on each piece.
The first mark is "925." This means that the object is 92.5 % silver. Sterling
silver is another name for .925 silver. The remaining 7.5 % is composed
of another metal to strengthen the silver. Although .925 is the most common,
you may also find .950, which is 95 % pure silver and is obviously more
expensive that .925. The second mark is "Mexico" or "Mex." This is the most
important mark to look for. Although jewelers trying to pass off fake silver
will often stamp "925" on the piece, they cannot legally stamp "Mexico"
on anything other than real silver.A combination of these two stamps is
the best way to distinguish real silver. The third mark that may also be
stamped on real silver is the jeweler's seal (also known as a hallmark).
Although not required, the jeweler may choose to include his or her seal,
which is usually a combination of letters and numbers, for example: "TC-89."
Aside from stamps in the silver, price is an important factor in determining
authenticity. |
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"The most important thing is price," says Cristina. "If they're giving it
away.. don't kid yourself." An eighteen gram necklace should cost between
$27 and $30 USD. Therefore, if a street or beach vendor is selling heavy
chains for $1 USD, chances are the chains aren't real silver. Alpaca, which
is also known as "German Silver," looks pretty, but is not .925 silver.
Oftentimes, the cheap, heavy chains sold by street vendors are made from
alpaca. If the price seems too good to be real silver, it probably is. After
all, the street vendors need to make a living, too. This is not to say that
all street vendors sell only imitation silver. Most street vendors do have
silver jewelery, too.. but not for one dollar per chain. Street vendors'
prices for real silver are comparable to real silver sold in shops. The
advantage to a reputable shop is that you still know where to find them
the next day. So why not just settle for cheaper metals, like alpaca? Because
silver is the best quality and will last the longest. Unless you are allergic
to silver and your skin has a chemical reaction, silver will not tarnish
as long as you are wearing it against your skin. For silver items you are
not constantly wearing, tarnish is easy to remove. Even if silver has been
tarnished for ten years, silver cleaner will restore it to its original
shine. However, with other "wanna-be silver" metals, the metal can turn
black, even against your skin. And in most cases, the tarnish is permanent.
To care for your silver, Christina recommends storing unworn silver jewelery
in a sealed bag, such as a ziplock bag, so as not to tarnish. A silver cleaner
and soft cloth will easily remove any tarnish and small chains can be shined
using dry baking soda and a toothbrush. |
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