father/son/ohio
Elite Member
i found a ring that said " MEX 925" so i brought it into a coin dealer and he said they dont accept it... why?
whats wrong with mexican silver?
- Thread starter father/son/ohio
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Silversmith45
Elite Member
I help out at a pawn Shop and we don't take any silver. At the price of silver it isn't worth mesing with. You would probably only get a dollar or two for a large heavy ring if you could find one to take it.
randwool
Forum Supporter
If the price is that low, I suppose it's a good time to hoard it.
devros
Elite Member
Believe it or not the mexican silver is different. I don't know why or how but it just is, the jewelry is .925 but for some reason it is always just cheap silver. It is not the best quality silver there is out there. I will ask a couple of people I know and ask why exactly it is like that.
IntoIt
Elite Member
I never heard that before.
There is one jewelry designer from mexico I think in the 70` his jewelry is more valuable then the silver. I remember it from the antique road show.
I recall new mexico jewelery maker as being sought after as well.
Good Luck Out There.
There is one jewelry designer from mexico I think in the 70` his jewelry is more valuable then the silver. I remember it from the antique road show.
I recall new mexico jewelery maker as being sought after as well.
Good Luck Out There.
devros
Elite Member
They were buying his name not the jewelry itself, sounds different. It's like buying a famous painting, it's the artist not the paint he used. Artist's are the ones not anything else.
dirtchirp
Senior Member
Jaybird
Senior Member
I just sold my gold to a dealer that gives up to 84% of spot he said he won't buy Mexican silver because alot of it is not true 925 even though it is stamped that way and his smelter won't buy it either. I think there is a way to test it but sometimes I think it is different metal in the middle . I would wait until you have more of it then find a dealer to sell it to. Maybe not all buyers are like the one I deal with. Good luck!
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OZ_IL
Forum Supporter
84% of spot! Man, you have to shop around! I have a hefty bracelet that has 'Mexico' on it and I'll run a silver test (not stamped, but looks like silver) and if it is see what Midwest has to say about it. I have to get my gold sent in also, just wondering how much the stamped stuff is faked. I could run a test, but hey let Midwest do it for me
BTW, I'm keeping this "beauty", the only .950 stamped item I found. And nope, I have no idea what it represents LOL:
steve in so la
Forum Supporter
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Don't know about the silver but the 5-6 gold items I have dug , & are stamped , that are fake - the jewelers all say they are coming out of Mexico. Steve in so az
lucky_c
Senior Member
Best to save up that silver and sell it in bulk amounts. That's what I do, with no problem. A single ring isn't worth much, though...
father/son/ohio
Elite Member
i didnt know the going price of silver then so i brought it in ( was across the street), to see what a ring than size was worth.
RickO
"In Memory of"
Silver is at a high point right now... $17.39/oz.. however, a lot of Mexican silver is not silver - or much lower grade than marked. Much like the fake coins coming out of China right now. RickO
Sterling Silver is very easy to test. Silver plated brass, Nickel Silver or low quality silver alloys will turn green when a drop of Nitric acid is applied. Sterling will turn a creamy color. When testing suspect goods a small file can be used to cut through the item.
Stang1968
Elite Member
That's what I've always been told about Mexican Silver too- to not trust the marking.
Silversmith45
Elite Member
Around here, a lot of the fake gold coming into the Pawn Shop is stamped 18k. We run acid tests on anything before we take it. In the past year or so, the fake gold from Mexico has really increased. Have an acid test run on anything before you buy it. Don't go by the stamp. The item is rubbed on a stone and the acid is applied to the mark left on the stone.
father/son/ohio
Elite Member
where can i get nitric acid?
