While you’re in Puerto Vallarta, one of the things you’ll notice is the abundance of places to buy silver: stores with walls and walls of silver, beach vendors selling silver out of black display boxes, and small boutiques with the latest styles made by known silversmiths from around the world. Here is some background on silver, and why it is so prevalent here in Vallarta.
The practice of separating silver from lead dates way back to 3000 B.C. on the Aegean Sea islands. Silver has had many uses other than jewelry, including coinage, photography, silverware, batteries, bearings, brazing and soldering, electronics, mirrors, solar energy, and water purification. Silver has also played a big part in medicine. As late as 1930, silver nitrate was used as an antibiotic; doctors used to put it in newborns’ eyes to help prevent infection. Silver was also known to detoxify the liver and spleen.
Silver (Ag) has an atomic number of 47 and an atomic weight of 107.8682. It reaches solid state at 298 degrees Kelvin. Pure silver, known as “.999,” is beautiful, shiny, and almost tarnish-free. However, it is a bit too soft for jewelry, and so most silversmiths alloy it with copper to make it stronger. Sterling, a worldwide standard established in the 14th century, is an alloy of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper.
Today when you’re shopping for jewelry in PV, you’ll see a stamp somewhere on the piece saying “.925,” indicating a 92.5 percent silver content. Some artists use a higher grade of silver, which is stamped “.950.” Both of these are good-quality sterling silver.
All sterling silver tarnishes! To keep this to a minimum, you can keep your jewelry in a zip-lock bag when not in use. Just before wearing it, run a silver polishing cloth over the jewelry.
Mexico is the second-largest producer of silver in the world. Within Mexico, Taxco is the most famous silver town. William Spratling, known as the “Father of Mexican Silver,” moved to Taxco in 1931 and opened a shop. By 1935, his focus was on silver jewelry, which he sold in the U.S. at stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Today, tourists flock to the annual National Silver Fair held in the town in November and December. Here, local silver designers display their best work and compete against one another for the grand prize: a 24K gold trophy with an Aztec eagle design and a purse of 40,000 pesos, personally presented by Mexico’s President.
Puerto Vallarta is a great place to shop for the best work of Taxco’s designers and for the latest fashion jewelry. There is something silver for everyone, from simple hoops to one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Have fun, check out several different places, and take home a piece of Mexico.
