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Shopping for silver jewelry in Taxco

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Author	Topic: Shopping for silver jewelry in Taxco
Vik Posts: 3 Registered: Oct 2005	posted 10-15-2005 01:12 AM How to shop for silver in Taxco? Would anybody like to share any information about buying silver in Taxco. Thanks in advance. IP: Logged
Kimo Posts: 1627 Registered: Mar 2003	posted 10-17-2005 11:22 AM 1) Bargain, bargain, bargain. Don't pay the asking price. If you don't know where to begin, take some time to watch other shoppers negotiating tactics and the prices they get. Realize that some shoppers will be better than others. Don't get dressed up and don't wear expensive jewelry as you will never get a good deal if the sellers think you have a lot of money. 2) Don't buy anything in the first two hours you are there - just look and educate yourself as to the range of items and the relative quality of what is being offered. At first everything will look the same but with a bit of looking you will start to see that there is everything from nice to junk. Pay close attention to the little details in workmanship. 3) If you are artistic, before you go there you should design your own ring or earrings or necklace or whatever you might like. Make some nice clear drawings of your design and take them with you. Or, if you have some photos of jewelry you have always admired, take those with you. When you arrive, ask around for good places that will custom make your design for you at fair prices and then get it made. IP: Logged
Vik Posts: 3 Registered: Oct 2005	posted 10-18-2005 03:32 PM Thank you so much Kimo! It's very useful information. In addition I have few more questions about buying in Taxco: Is a difference in quality and prices for jewelry produced by small local Taxco's merchants/manufacurers and their middle-size and big-size competitors? How are they selling jewelry by peaces or by gram? Is any other middle-size or big-size manufacturers there except Talleres de los Ballesteros? Thank you advance. Vik IP: Logged
Kimo Posts: 1627 Registered: Mar 2003	posted 10-19-2005 05:28 PM What kind of silver are you looking for? You will find an extreme range in Taxco. In some of the finer shops they don't do much bargaining and their prices seem to my thinking to be so high as to make U.S. shops prices look like bargains. If you want trinkets and fun little touristy things then there are little hole in the wall shops and stalls all over the place, especially at the Saturday market. Much of this stuff is sold by the gram, except the very small and light things are not. If money is no object and you want some really nice things then you should probably start with a trip to the museum to educate yourself as to what is high quality vs. not so high quality. Then you might start with a trip to the Spratling Workshop (normally open by appointment) and seeing their work which tends to be custom order high end objects and reproductions of original Spratling designs. Ballesteros, which you mention, is another of the better places. And if you really want to overdose on silver and also see work from smiths from other parts of the country you should time your visit to coincide with the annual national silver fair, the "Feria de Plata", at Taxco at the end of November. Finally, be sure any silver you buy is clearly marked ".925" and not "alpaca". Items you may run across there that are marked "alpaca" may look like silver but they have no silver in them - they are made of an alloy that is mostly nickel. IP: Logged
Vik Posts: 3 Registered: Oct 2005	posted 10-20-2005 07:58 PM Thank you so much Kimo. Now I am almost ready for trip to Taxco:) Just a couple more questions. Is any restrictions from Mexican custom for amount of jewelry I would buy there and would I able to bring it with me? Or Mexican custom prefers when people ship their purchases by couriers like UPS, DHL or Fedex? Thanks advance, Vik IP: Logged

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