Mexico is currently the world’s leading producer of silver. While silver has been used for many things in Mexico for thousands of years, Mexican silver became famous across the world with the arrival of the Spanish armadas in the 1500s.
When it comes to the metal itself, silver is silver, wherever it is found. Mexico however is highly regarded for silver because of its long history of silver mining as well as for the tradition of its silversmiths.
The most famous of Mexico’s silver cities is Taxco. In the 1700s large silver deposits were found around Taxco and due to its proximity to the mines, it became home to many fine jewellery designers and other silver crafting artisans.
Purity Of Mexican Silver
Most Mexican silver sold for jewellery is either .925 or .999 and is usually stamped as such. 925 is what is commonly referred to as sterling silver and what is most often used in true silver jewellery. Mexican silversmiths have a long tradition of stamping their jewellery. This was done as a show of pride in their skills and its origin.
Modern Mexican Jewellery
Silver jewellery has been worn in Mexico for thousands of years. The Olmecs, Aztecs and Mayan civilisations all created silver craft offerings to the gods and also created silver jewellery pieces. For these ancient civilisations silver was a measure of value, a show of social status as well as just being a beautiful accessory.
When the Spanish settled in Mexico, they brought with them new design techniques and tools. Mexican jewellery design also became heavily influenced by these new European design styles, such as more delicate silver earrings.
Modern Mexican jewellery still has a strong Spanish influence. While you can buy Mexican jewellery that draws on its indigenous heritage, many pieces are for instance blended with European sourced stones. Jewellery design, as with much other art, is influenced by the surrounding nature and Mexican jewellery is often big, bold and dramatic.
At Crowded Silver we admire Mexican jewellery, its quality and its bold design. We import handmade silver jewellery directly from Mexico. All of our pieces are made to order by individual silversmiths. Any Mexican jewellery on our site will acknowledge Mexico as the origin on the product page.