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Taxco Bracelet
Love It! |
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| Taxco Mark |
First, groundwork is needed. It has come to my attention that some people are misrepresenting jewelry stamped with Alpaca as sterling silver from Mexico. I don't believe the people describing this jewelry incorrectly, mean to defraud. I'm confident as soon as everyone learns the truth, corrections will happen.
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Taxco
Snake Jewelry |
This is one possible explanation that resulted in confusion with these marks. Jewelry collectors are familiar with Taxco in Mexico. Taxco and its silver deposits are well known in the jewelry world. Quality silver jewelry produced by artists from Taxco in Mexico are appropriately stamped with some form of the written word "Taxco". The word itself was a constant, sometimes all caps was used, and variations in the makers mark, if included at all, took many forms through the years. An expert date's the item from these clues in the markings. But, that's the subject for another post.
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Taxco de Alarcón Municipality
located in the Mexican state of Guerrero
aka Silver City |
What I hope to clarify is jewelry coming from Mexico, stamped Alpaca, is not made from a precious metal. A lot of people are mistaking Alpaca as a city in Mexico. Understandably, they assume since there is a Taxco in Mexico producing sliver jewelry, there must be an Alpaca in Mexico.
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Alpaca Mark
on bracelet |
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Elaborate
Alpaca
Necklace |
There is
NOT an Alpaco in Mexico. The pieces marked this way are not silver. At least not the precious metal, the .925 sliver coming from Taxco we all think of when we think of silver jewelry. Alpaca is their term for "nickel" silver or "german" silver. Contains no silver whatsoever. Alpaca jewelry is produced as an inexpensive option for consumers unable to afford the actual .925 silver. Alpaca jewelry pieces are equally attractive as their counterparts. Some say they are more attractive because the designers attempt to make up for using the lesser metal alloy. For comparable pieces of jewelry the Alpaca stamped value is less.
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| Alpaca Bracelet |
Follow this link to a superb guide for everything silver, silver plated, makers marks, the works! Alpaca info can be found towards the bottom of the article.
