I’ll give you some tips to make sure you’re getting what you’re paying for, and nothing more. After all, these things, particularly the big ones (like silver statues) are heavier and cost more, and you don’t want anything less than what you’re paying for!
When you buy jewelry, you want quality .925, also called sterling silver. In that case, the piece MUST be stamped on the back or in a not-so-obvious place (so as not to spoil the beauty of the piece) as proof of its quality. The stamp can be “.925”, or a small eagle head, or say “sterling”. The above is required by Mexican law to ensure that buyers get what they are paying for. If it does not have one of the above marks or hallmarks, it is not sterling silver.
The .925 comes from the amount of silver in the alloy: out of 1,000 parts, 925 is silver. The same would be true for the .950 grade: 950 parts of silver for every 1,000 parts in the alloy. The other metal has traditionally been copper, 75 parts in the case of sterling silver, or just 50 in the higher grade .950. This higher grade will also be stamped in the same place as the .925, but saying .950.
You can also find beautiful jewelry that is not sterling silver (or .925), and it is very pretty too, you just have to take into account the fact that it is not sterling silver and will be made of nickel silver (also known as nickel silver or German silver). in which case “alpaca” should be stamped. Jewelry may even be made of copper or another metal, and then electroplated – coated – with a very thin layer of silver, in which case it should be stamped “silver”.
That is to say, each piece must be marked depending on the material used to make it and, of course, if sterling silver is cheap in Taxco, the nickel silver or silver pieces will be even cheaper because they have less silver, which is the expensive metal in these cases.
When shopping for Holloware, keep in mind that with international silver prices so high today, you will most likely only find silver pieces, and not pieces that are made of 100% sterling silver. It is in this case that you most want to be sure of what you are buying, since the hollow is expensive, since it takes a lot of metal, craftsmanship and time to make the beautiful pieces, whether they are made of silver or another metal. You can find hollow sterling silver, but it is rare.
Hopefully you now have a better idea of how to identify the quality of the parts you see and are more confident about it.