Nickel Silver
Acapulco – Shopping for Mexican Silver
Acapulco is close to Mexico’s main silver-producing region. Taxco, a colonial city in the mountains between Acapulco and Mexico City, is the historical center of this time-honored craft. You will be able to buy Mexican silver in several places in Acapulco, and at very reasonable prices. This article describes what to look for so as to be sure to get what you pay for.
All well-established stores will be open and honest about the quality and silver content of the pieces they sell. This is not always true with transient vendors. To be a good shopper for silver you should bring a magnifying glass, or loupe.
Content. In Mexico you should encounter only one of two types of silver. Either it will be “sterling” or it will be “Alpacca.”
- Sterling is 92.5% pure. In Mexico, the remainder is pure copper, added to give the alloy tensile strength. In Mexico, all pieces of sterling are stamped “925” somewhere, usually next to the artisan’s hallmark, if there is one. On jewelry this can be exceedingly tiny, which is why you brought your loupe with you. If you can not find the “925,” do not buy the piece. It might be genuine sterling nonetheless, but it probably is not. Certainly it was not produced by a qualified silversmith in Mexico.
- Alpacca is also called “nickel silver” or “German Silver.” Its natural finish is similar to that of pewter. Local vendors may tell you that Alpacca contains silver, but it does not. It is an alloy of nickel, copper and (usually) zinc. Frequently pieces of Alpacca will be silver plated, so they look as shiny as sterling. Many sales people think the name is “alpaca,” like the Peruvian beast of burden. In fact, the word (with two c’s and a capital “A”) was a trade mark created by Berndorg AG, a German silversmith, to describe this non-silver alloy. All pieces of Alpacca produced by qualified silversmiths will be stamped “MEX” in the same place where you would find “925” on a piece of sterling. If the item is silver plated, the word “plate” or “plat.” should appear somewhere. The specific gravity of Alpacca is considerably lower than sterling’s, so it will always be notably lighter than an equivalent piece of sterling silver.
- Fine Silver. If someone offers you “fine silver,” be suspicious. This defines silver that is at least 97% silver, up to about 99.9%. It is too soft to be of practical use for jewelry or for household items. If you can almost dent the surface with your finger nail, it may be true “fine silver.” More likely, it will look and feel like sterling or Alpacca. This should tip you off that the vendor is either dishonest or uninformed.
Mexican silversmiths are highly organized and work hard to maintain the discipline and rules of practice so as to maintain consumer confidence. The “925” or “MEX,” if placed on the piece by the craftsman, is probably reliable. Be alert, however, for signs of tampering with the stamp. On very rare occasions a salesman may try to talk you into believing that “MEX” is actually “925.” This is where the magnifying glass comes in handy.
The term “Mexican Silver” historically referred to an alloy with 95% silver and 5% copper, but the product was thought too soft for modern applications, and so sterling has been adopted as the standard for many years. Nowadays, this term just means any silver piece made in Mexico.
Where to Go Shopping. Inside Parque Papagayo there is a jewelry factory and outlet called B & B Jewelers. It is a great place to go to see jewelry in the making. Be sure to see the fire opals. At Taxco Exporta on the Costera Alemán in the Club Deportivo area, you can find not only jewelry, but artistic items of home décor, including trays, vases and the like. The several Sanborns outlets in town also provide well-priced items of genuine Mexican silver articles and jewelry. If you are downtown, across the side street (Juan Escudero) from Sanborns is Linda de Taxco, a shop that specializes in the artistic output of these world-famous artisans. Nearby you can visit Joyería Bonita Margarita where lots of silver and gold crafts can be found.
Minette is a high-end jewelry store in the Fairmont Princess Acapulco hotel, offering one-of-a-kind pieces of designer jewelry and very elaborate decorative pieces for the home. In Las Brisas, Tane Orferes offers unique works in gold and silver jewelry by well-known designers and artists. Torzal Joyeros, on the Costera near the Diana traffic circle, offers hand-crafted jewelry items of all sorts. One specialty is unique, matching wedding rings.
About the Author
Bernal Castillo writes for RealAcapulco.com, the most complete and reliable source of information about Acapulco, in English and in Spanish. To reach him, go to Acapulco and navigate to the contact page.
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when did pennys stop being made from pure copper? dimes from silver? nickel from nickel? etc etc?
... or whatever the truth is now
.. does anyone know of a site or chart that tells you?
Cents have never been pure copper but they were 95% copper with some zinc or tin (except in 1943 when they were zinc coated steel).In 1982 the penny's composition was changed to copper plated zinc with only about 2.5% copper by weight. Nickels have always been mostly copper with 25% nickel ( except during WW II ). They still contain some nickel unless there has been a recent change I am unaware of. Dimes contained 90% silver by weight until 1965 when it was changed to clad coinage of copper and nickel. The only exception is dimes minted for collectors in silver proof sets. For details check A Guide of United States Coins The Red Book