Mexican Silver: A Love Affair That Might Work Out

A terrible history with jewelry

Everyone knows what magnetic attraction is. Judging by women’s behaviors at jewelry shows, women are magnetically attracted to jewelry in every form; necklaces, rings, bracelets, toe-rings, earrings and even simple studs.

However, I have always seemed to repel jewelry. It always moves away from me. From the age of 13 when I lost my grandmother’s turquoise engagement ring in a swimming pool to (which haunts me to this day) to the piles of inexpensive pieces left on the bookshelves of Air BnB’s, jewelry seems to pull in the opposite direction.

Once years ago, I didn’t want to weight-train with an emerald ring on. I put it in the glove compartment of my car. Land Rovers are very hard to break into.  I thought that would be safer than putting it in a locker at the particular gym I went to at the time.

My car was stolen once while I was in the gym. The thieves, two women, broke into my locker, took the car keys, and drove my car away. When the car was recovered, the ring was gone but several CDs of gospel music had been left in the back seat, which brought to mind some pretty hilarious images (Thank you Lord for this Land Rover! Hallelujah!)

Then there was the diamond pendant on a gold chain necklace from a former boyfriend that went down a shower drain. Later a sapphire necklace disappeared from a dresser drawer during my divorce. As a result of these heartbreaks, after 30 years of adult existence, I owned less than 10 pieces of jewelry and that included mala beads.

Even after I started traveling to Mexico, no matter how I packed them, my necklaces got so knotted by the time I arrived they ended up laying on nightstands the entire stay. I’d helplessly take them back to Denver for a jewelry designer friend to unknot for me. Then I’d pack them again on the next trip due to a rare form of jewelry amnesia.

The allure of Mexican silver

So why, with this terrible history and locomotive lifestyle as a part-time expat am I suddenly into buying Mexican silver jewelry? The exigencies of going back and forth like this don’t come without deprivation. You can’t have a portable feast of a life with a lot of clothes.

After a few years part-time expat life, I began to shuck off items and make due with about 10 outfits a season. I am always seeking the balance the simple two country life that I’ve painstakingly developed against occasional feelings of rootlessness that arriving to Mexico or returning home with nothing more than two suitcases can provoke.

That encroaching feeling of being unmoored recently stoked the desire to take care of something permanent, like silver.  A few pieces of jewelry convert slapping on clothes into wearing a coordinated outfit. Rather than “just traveling through,” purchasing and wearing silver jewelry that has to be cared for, has begun to make me feel more rooted. Silver holds me down.

The versatility of silver

After age 20, our wardrobes drift relentlessly toward neutrals (at least, it appears, until we reappear in pastels in our 80’s). By age 40, at least a quarter of your wardrobe is neutral. Travel clothes and core clothing are black. You pack black jeans, black boots, and black leather jacket. Chunks of silver look fantastic against this blackness.

A curious quality to silver is that, unlike gold, it’s impossible to wear too much of it. Perhaps it’s because people look at silver a little differently. Mexican silver’s beauty is a such implied by the workmanship and design as by the value of the metal. Women dripping in silver look as if it’s caring for them, giving them a place in the world.

The history of Mexican silver

All of which takes me to Mexican silver. As you may have noticed from my previous blogs, I am growing rather fond of Mexico. I am more committed to it every day. When I wear Mexico’s silver, I feel like Mexico is committing to me too. Wearing it, I feel like I’m wearing part of Mexico’s history and culture.

The history of silver in Mexico is a big part of its history in relation to the world. At one time Mexico provided over a third of the world’s silver.  Only a year into Spain’s conquest of Mexico in 1521, Hernan Cortes made claim to mining silver in Taxco, a city south of Mexico City. Intermittently, new veins were discovered there. This part of Mexico became world-renowned for its high-quality silver.

Once these rich veins of silver were emptied, leave it to American marketing ingenuity to bring Taxco back to its former glory by promoting Taxco as the world center of silver design. William Spratling, an architectural professor at Tulane University in New Orleans, came up with the idea of training local artisans in the design of jewelry. This led to Taxco’s present-day reputation for silver represented by over 300 silver workshops there.

As one of Mexico’s Pueblos Magicos, Taxco has charms beyond its silver. People have said that from a distance, the city takes on the qualities of a surreal painting. It is a very popular tourist destination for its architecture, culture, and history.

Much of the advice offered on how to buy silver in Taxco can be applied to how to buy Mexican silver anywhere, and it’s worth mentioning here.

Best practices for buying Mexican silver

• It’s important to ask if the piece your considering has some type of certificate to guarantee the quality of the silver

• It’s preferable to buy it from an established source, a store or vendor with a history, a place that will back up your purchase should there be a defect in the work or a repair needs to be made.

• Make sure the silver is authentic Mexican. Taiwan, China, and Italy also produce silver, but of an inferior quality.

• If you have purchased silver with a precious stone, you need to ask if the stone is natural. At times a vendor will pass off poor quality stones, (glass or even plastic) as natural stones to reduce the overall cost of the piece. You need to evaluate the gem and the setting separately and determine the value based on the aggregate value of the stone and the setting. It’s weight and design create its value. If embossed or has chisel work, its price will be higher.

• Ask how the piece is to be cared for. The quality affects the care.

• It’s not a bad idea to check the price of silver per gram before you shop.

• The most important thing is to look for the engraved marks of at least 0.925, up to 0.950, 0.970 that indicate high quality. It might also have a marking from its workshop of origin.

In addition, if you happen to be traveling to Taxco to shop for silver, it’s advisable to ignore the city guides suggestions of where to shop. Inquire around about established stores that have met all the business legal requirements to sell silver.

Be aware that alpaca (an alloy of copper, nickel, and zinc) is often passed off as silver. Alpaca is more brilliant and weighs less than real silver. It’s easy to be fooled. From my earliest days in Mexico in Mazatlán, I have heard many anecdotes relating to people buying jewelry that was said to be silver and wasn’t.

How to tell if you are buying real silver

1 Place the piece near a magnet. Unlike nickel, a magnet will not strongly attract real silver.

2. Rub the piece with a soft cloth. Silver, with chemical qualities, tends to give of tarnish with oxidation and the passage of time. If it leaves a blackish mark, it is probably real. Obviously, this isn’t a definitive test. The piece could be brand new or very recently cleaned.

3. Smell it. If the silver is of high quality, it should not have a strong metallic (smelting) aroma.

4. Take a hard-boiled egg with you.  Another popular way to test authenticity is to rub the piece with the yolk of a hard-boiled egg. If the yolk darkens, it’s authentic. 

As I previously mentioned, while I may not be ready for a dog, I do want to take care of a few nice things in my life, like precious symbols of my relationship with Mexico. 

How to care for silver

I love this trick for cleaning silver because it uses household products. I tried it on a terribly tarnished pendant my mother gave me 20 years ago and it worked beautifully. You don’t have to go out and buy or carry a dipping solution in your suitcase.  You will need a bowl, salt, water, aluminum foil and a soft cloth.

1. Heat the water to boiling

2. Line the bowl with aluminum foil

3. Fill the lined bowl with boiling water

4. Add a generous tablespoon of salt to the water and stir until dissolved

5. Carefully place the piece in the hot water

6. Leave it in the bowl for 15 minutes, moving it a few time.

7. Remove the piece. Buff and dry it thoroughly with the soft cloth .

Many of us put on jewelry and go about our day, exposing it to soaps, creams, dish detergents, sugar. which can be corrosive, as can foods like eggs, some fruits, onions, mayonnaise and vinegar.

You should clean silver frequently, and right after it’s worn is best. The more you wear these pieces, the less care they take. If the piece requires only maintenance cleaning, warm water, and a soap with no phosphates should be enough (my jewelry-maker friend showers with hers, then rubs the tarnish off.)

Don’t clean it with other silver pieces, like dinnerware, as it might become scratched. Do not use rubber gloves, as rubber is also corrosive to silver. Store silver only completely dry, and separate from the rest of your jewelry. You can buy special bags for silver or place them in separate plastic baggies.

A culture of owndership

I admire Mexican silver more like one would fine leather (which can never be gaudy). When I look at Mexican silver, unlike my emerald ring and diamond pendant, I see more than a pretty stone and the precious metal. I see a Mexican craftsman.

Several friends of mine have collected Mexican silver for years. They’ve recounted nothing about shower drains, swimming pools or pillaging gospel singers. While I may never match their enviable stashes, I console myself with the growing connection with Mexico that even my few humble pieces represent. 

Hopefully, my luck in relationships is about to change.

About the author:

Kerry Baker is the author of "If Only I Had a Place," which presents a holistic system to finding a renting luxurious places for less. Renting in Mexico is different, with bonuses and dangers for the expat. 

You can’t maintain a healthy diet in Mexico without cooking. The Lazy Expat: Healthy Recipes That Translate in Mexico shows you how.  Her third  book is “The Mexico Solution: Saving your money, sanity, and quality of life through part-time life in Mexico.”  It’s the only how-to on how to move to Mexico that will both entertain and educate.

Buying Sleep Aids in Mexico

It surprised me recently when friend who is a long-term resident in Mazatlán shared with me that she didn’t know how to get sleeping pills in Mexico, a task I’m familiar with in all its guises.

In the US, you’ll need to set up an appointment with your doctor (as if you need a diagnosis for a condition that’s likely haunted you for decades). In Mexico, you drop by a consultorios, tiny little doctors offices, usually next door to pharmacies. The doctor should charge you no more 300 pesos, or about $15 dollars for a visit. (If they charge more, you’re in a tourist zone and have to decide if the convenience is worth the extra money).

The real frustration with consultorios is that their schedules can be really erratic. Given the tiny office and the solitary nature of the job, it’s no wonder they wander. They likely go stir crazy. Often office hours aren’t even posted. Some are open on Sundays.

If you’re fortunate enough to get by with an occasional Xanax to sleep, be aware this brand isn’t available in Mexico. The scientific name to ask for is Alprazola, which runs about $20 dollars for a month prescription. Ambien, called Zolpidem in Mexico, is more expensive, running $800 pesos/$40 dollars for 30 10 mil tabs.

Risks associated with Ambien and other opiates has changed medical protocol over the last few years and it’s considered a controlled substance in Mexico, just like in the US. You can get 10 milligrams a day prescription for 30 days, whereas in the U.S. prescribed dosage is only five milligrams.

If you are bringing Ambien with you from the US, technically you are only allowed to bring in 90 days worth of prescriptions over the border. You will not be able to fill a prescription of 90 days of Ambien from your US doctor to take with you (believe me I’ve tried)

Mexican doctors are supposed to write 30-day-only prescriptions for these drugs but systems are not linked so it just means you can to go to several doctors if you want to stock up. The doctor will give you a specific type and only that specific type can get filled. When I got a prescription for a certain brand in Guadalajara, and tried to have it filled in Mazatlán, it was impossible to find that brand and they wouldn’t give me the same drug in a different brand. I had to start all over with another visit to local consultorio.

Pharmacists are supposed to take the prescription from you when you fill it to prevent you from using the script again. Often, however, they neglect to take it . (Thank god, or I’d spend half my life at this.)

Plan on getting any Mexican prescription well ahead of running out, in case you have problems in finding a consultario with a comprehensible schedule or run into complications such as the ones I have only alluded to. Once you get to Mexico, if you’re going to need Ambien, you’d better get busy.

I remember years ago how easy it was to get a number of prescription drugs over the counter in Mexico. That has changed substantially.

God, I miss the 80’s.

About the author:

Kerry Baker is the author of several books. The second book is “If Only I Had a Place,” giving you the benefits, pitfalls and opportunities of renting long-term in Mexico. The Mexico Solution: How to save your money, sanity and quality of life through part-time life in Mexico, is the cumulation of all I know, love and want to teach you about expat life.

Her most recent book, “The Lazy Expat: Healthy Recipes That Translate in Mexico” is a cookbook for travelers, snowbirds and expats. (spoiler: to maintain a healthy diet in Mexico, you must cook.)