Repoussé

The photo of the bracelet in the previous post was made using a technique called repoussé. After tracing the design onto a sheet of silver, the silversmith hammers the design out from the back of the sheet to create the three dimensional surface. The silversmith cuts a second sheet of the same size, which will later form the back of the piece.

This technique requires a great deal of skill as hammering can stress the metal and each section must still retain enough strength to be durable and wearable. A process called annealing enables the smith to keep the metal malleable.

Once the design is hammered out, the silvermsmith solders the second sheet of silver in place. In this piece below, the two symmetrical halves are held together by a spring, which is inserted between the front and back pieces on each side. To produce a piece of this comlexity, not only must the metalworking skills be of the highest caliber, the design involved must be suitable for the technique.

The price of silver

When you buy silver jewelry, you probably never think about what goes into the price, and you probably have never thought about how silver is priced.

Basically, silver is traded as a commodity on the international markets. The metal is used extensively in industry, with only about a third of silver used in jewelry. Currently at approximately $10 an ounce, silver has increased in value very sharply over the past eighteen months, and recently reached a twenty year high of almost $15 an ounce.

Prior to the fall of 2004, silver hoovered at the $5-$6 an ounce range for two decades.

This rise in price effects the end price of the jewelry, and it effects the valule of the jewelry you previously purchased. While there is not a one-to-one increase, silver jewelry costs more when the silversmith has to pay more for the raw product.

Silver, as gold, has historically been used as a store of value. Think of all of those Spanish galleons sailing the Spanish main. You can track the price of silver online through various sites, including www.kitco.com.

The tiangus

Every Saturday the silversmiths in Taxco sell directly to the customer in a market called the tiangus. While not all of the silversmiths sell here, the work displays a wide variety of skill and quality. In addition to the sterling silver, plated goods are sold. One should exercise caution when buying, but a knowledgable buyer can do well, and sometimes find new and unique designs.

Some of the sellers in the tiangus also have retail shops, and the tiangus provides an additional outlet. Others sell to the larger shops or to wholesalers, so selling in the tiangus allows them to obtain a larger percentage of the sale price.

If you find yourself in Taxco on a Saturday morning, treat yourself to a walk though the tiangus, but remember "caveat emptor".

Taxco silver stamps

Here are examples of Taxco silver hallmarks and stamps from three well known tallers in Taxco today.

This belongs to Exequiel Tapia.










The second is from Hecho a mano.
Both of these are stamped 925, but omit the Mexico stamp.













The third is from Escorcia, and contains all the possible marks. The surface of the work is concave, and is difficult to photograph, but it reads "TP 120 MEX 0.095 Escorcia. This means it was made by a silversmith who last name starts with "P". He was the 120th smith with a sir name beginning with "P" registered in Taxco, hence the "T". The piece is from Mexico, MEX. It is made of fine silver, or 95%, and is from taller Escorcia.












Sometimes pieces simply are marked 925, without the Mexico stamped, although the legal requirement for importation is for its inclusion.

Hallmarks and stamps

All jewelry imported into the United States must be marked for content and county of origin. The stamp on the reverse of Mexican silver carries a mark of .925 for sterling silver or .950 for fine silver. Sometimes the work bears a sterling stamp, rather than .925 stamp. Jewelry with higher silver content is usually not stamped as such, and may carry either a .925 or .950 mark. The stamp MEX or MEXICO normally marks the country of origin, although occasionally TAXCO replaces the Mexico stamp.

The markers mark maybe a name or a registration mark, or both. The registration mark includes a T for Taxco, a letter indicating the first letter of the markers name and a number wich indicates the person is the x number registered under that initial. For example TR-120 would indicate the 120th person whose last name begins in R who is registered in Taxco.

Older pieces of Mexican silver may have different hallmarks or names. The book Mexican Silver has an excellent list of these older marks.

Mexican Silver

To learn about Mexican silver, the book of the same title, by Penny Chittim Morrill & Carole A. Berk, is the best source of information I have found. You can obtain it directly from the publisher, Schiffer Publishing Ltd.

This is the publishers description:

"Here is the powerful story of the silver renaissance in Mexico from the 1920s to the present. The wealth of color photos showcases the incomparable beauty of these works in silver. Extensive research sheds new light on the life and art of William Spratling, Margot van Voorhies, Fred Davis, and Hubert Harmon, and on the artisans who worked for them, making this book the definitive study of Mexican silver jewelry and decorative objects."

To understand why this silver is special, and to know what to look for when you buy, this book is invaluable.

Caring for your silver

You don't have to do this to keep your silver polished!

Silver will provide generations of enjoyment. Sterling silver is durable and over the years develops a patina that can add to its value. Cleaning and an occasional polish will keep your silver in top condition for years to come.

The easiest way to keep you silver in good condition is to wash it frequently, with a phosphate-free detergent and to dry it with a soft cotton cloth. This prevents tarnish from building up on the silver, and lessens the need for polish. Tarnish is more easily removed in its early stages, when the silver appears to be a little "yellow", than after the tarnish turns brown or black.

Sulphur-containing materials, particularly hydrogen sulfide (H2S) cause silver to tarnish. Common substances which cause tarnish are skin oils, wool, felt, eggs and mayonnaise, onions, rubber and latex, and fossil fuels. Humid air, particularly salty sea air, accelerates tarnishing. A number of good silver polishes are available in grocery, department or hardware stores, or can be ordered online.

3M's Tarni-Shield™ Silver Polish is one of the least abrasive polishes and has an effective tarnish barrier. Twinkle® Silver Polish is also one of the least abrasive polishes. Goddard’s™ Long Shine Silver Polish and Silver Wash, and Wright's® Anti-Tarnish Silver Polish and Silver Cream will remove heavier tarnish and residue best.

DON’Ts:

Don’t use toothpaste. It is an abrasive and can scratch your silver.

Don’t use the same things to clean your silver scrub as you use to clean your pots! These include Scotch-Brite and steel wool, which can badly scratch your silver.

Don't use chemical dips as they can be toxic, and although they remove the tarnish quickly, they alter the surface of the silver and can result in more rapid tarnishing. This includes the home polishing trick of aluminum foil and baking soda.

Silver can be stored in sealable plastic bags with silica gel or with 3M Anti-Tarnish Strips™ provided it is first wrapped in soft cotton cloth or archival tissue paper. Simply using soft cotton cloths and sealable plastic bags will reduce the tarnish, as it minimizes exposure to air and tarnishing gases.