Seriously Silver Jewellery

We source our authentic Aztec jewellery from Mexico, in particular Taxco. Famous for its silver mines, it remains one of our favourite hunting spots. On our last trip to the city, we took a few photos to give you a taste of what life is like in Taxco.

Here is a photo of one of the many Beetle taxis in Taxco that run around the narrow cobbled streets.  Not many people have cars, and for those that do it is difficult to park with the narrow streets, so it is easier to use taxis.

Above is a photograph of the main church in the centre of Taxco, the Parish of Santa Prisca y San Sebastien, in the main square of the city, or zocalo. Built between 1751 and 1758, the church is one of the main tourist attractions in the city.

And finally, here is a photo of Taxco from a nearby hill, making it look reminiscent of Brazilian favelas. Silver remains one of the main sources of income for the local economy, and is still referred to as the silver capital of Mexico.

10) Plain Silver Pendant – Modern designs have helped breathe new life into the plain silver pendant. Some of the new Mexican inspired pendants really have to be seen to be believed.

9) Silver Fossil Pendants – These pendants have been around for as long as mankind as proved by archaeological digs over the years. Now encased in silver they are unusual to say the least.

8) Goldstone Silver Pendants – Goldstone is not a precious stone as many people think but is in fact a type of glass produced to give that unique look of encapsulated gold. The rarer Purple goldstone makes an unusual alternative silver pendant.

7) Silver Scroll Pendant – There are many fine examples of the scrolled silver pendant usually based on ethnic designs from Africa and India. Fine silverwork and hollow designs give the impression of a sizeable pendant without the weight.

6) Aztec Silver Pendants – Based on designs that are century’s old, the classic Aztec pendant is usually inlaid with Abalone or Opal and will get you admiring glances from all quarters.

5) Moonstone Silver Pendants – Not actually mined on the moon but if you catch moonstone in the correct light you could almost believe you were staring up at the full moon. Available in many deigns they are as popular today as they have been at any time.

4) Abalone Silver Pendants – The Abalone shell or Paua shell as it is know in some parts of the world has been used throughout time to make fancy jewellery. Its unique characteristics of reflecting light to give the appearance of multi colours make this another timeless classic.

3) Mother of Pearl Pendants – Usually abbreviated to MOP and available not just in the usual white colour but also subtle shades of pink and blue make MOP Silver pendants ideal for the summer period.

2) Amber Silver Pendants – Need no introduction really. Chunks of Amber in shades of yellow and green alongside the more usual orange colour make the silver Amber pendant as fashionable today as it has ever been.

1) Silver Cross – Probably the most worn piece of jewellery in the world has adorned the necks of the wearer for two thousand years. Mainly worn for its symbolistic meaning and available in every size and colour you can think of you are bound to find a silver cross to suit you.

Silver Charm bracelets are back on the must-have list for all summer outfits after a short time on the fashion sidelines. So much so that even the Twilight franchise has jumped on the bracelet bandwagon by teaming with a fast-food restaurant to give away bracelets as part of a promotion. 

As popular with youngsters as they were when they burst onto the mainstream fashion scene around 50 years ago, charm bracelets are an easy way to express your personality and interests – what better way to support Team Edward or Team Jacob?

If you’re behind Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), why not try this apple with a bite mark? (See what we did there? )

Show your colours for Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) by wearing this simple but stylish tooth charm.

Some final advice for all Bella Swan wannabes, you don’t need to mope around to get rpattz’ attention, simply flash him your charms

For charm bracelets, charms and accessories, visit SeriouslySilver and our dedicated Charm Bracelet section.

Mexico has one of the richest mining histories in the world, and remains one of the world’s largest silver producers.  Despite being renowned for silver, the industry in Mexico has taken more twists and turns over the past 100 years than the stock market has over the past 3 years.

Shortly before the stock market crash, mining contributed an estimated 10 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 1929, it diminished to 5.7 percent in 1940 and sunk to 3 percent in 1950. In 1992, it made up 1.5 percent of Mexico’s GDP. In comparison, oil and natural gas extraction contributed less than 2 percent of Mexican GDP. This shows just how important the mining industry has been to Mexican economy

Ined Herrera Canales states in his book “Mining, Metallurgy and the Environment”, that Mexican mining really took off internationally shortly after the Second World War as the world economy struggled out of recession. He states: “International demand for mining products in the 1960s was reinforced by an increase in domestic demand towards the end of the decade. This led in turn to a significant recovery of the industry production. In the early 1960s, mining was largely  “mexicanized”.” This meant that legislation was brought into Mexico ordering that Mexican more than 50 percent of the capital of every mining firm should be supplied by Mexican citizens. By the early 1970s, the entire industry had complied with the legislation. It is this king of support from the government that has made the Mexican mining industry the powerhouse that it remains today.

Source: http://www.icmm.com/page/1391/mining-metallurgy-and-environment-in-mexico-during-the-twentieth-century

Remember to visit our Aztec Jewellery Page for all of your Mexican jewellery needs.

Charms bracelets are different to any other type of modern jewellery in the way that it allows the wearer to fully customise what they would like to present themselves as, messages to send, or how to express themselves. Of course, there are necklaces, bracelets, bangles, rings, earrings and the like, but none of these have the ability to be fully customised, and only have a limited area to show themselves.

Charm bracelets are however fully customisable, and here at Seriously Silver, we’re proud to offer a wide range of silver charms for your perusal.

There are several materials whose name also represents colour: Amber, amethyst, bronze, and silver itself. But amongst these, turquoise must rank as one of the most striking. Rarely in nature do we see such rich and vibrant colours as turquoise, which is maybe why so much beautiful jewellery is made from the stone.

As with many other jewellery materials, turquoise has a mythology and history all of its own, unique to others. There are certain websites that claim that turquoise is some sort of wonder material:

“Turquoise is a purification stone.  It dispels negative energy and can be worn to protect against outside influences or pollutants in the atmosphere.  Turquoise balances and aligns all the chakras, stabilising mood swings and instilling inner calm.  It is excellent for depression and exhaustion, it also has the power to prevent panic attacks.  Turquoise promotes self-realisation and assists creative problem solving.  It is a symbol of friendship, and stimulates romantic love.

Turquoise aids in the absorption of nutrients, enhances the immune system, stimulates the regeneration of tissue, and heals the whole body.  It contains anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects, and alleviates cramps and pain.  Turquoise purifies lungs, soothes and clears sore throats, and heals the eyes, including cataracts.  It neutralises overacidity, benefits rheumatism, gout, stomach problems, and viral infections.”

If all of these were true, doctors would surely be prescribing turquoise jewellery to all patients for all ailments. As much as we at SeriouslySilver would whole-heartedly endorse such a policy, we understand that turquoise cannot have such miraculous healing qualities, and prefer to go along the route of beauty being the source of wellbeing.

By owning such beautiful items of jewellery surely gives us confidence, and the bright, vibrant colours can do nothing but help our assertiveness.

Citrine is the gemstone for the month of November, and it’s tough to find a gemstone that so aptly represents the month it’s attached to. Part of the quartz family, its colours can range from light yellow to rich browns, perfectly matching the hue of leaves around November.

It’s the quality of the colour that makes citrine stand out. With its name derived from the Latin for lemon, its colour can be just as rich and tangy, but can also bring warmth to an outfit. The richness of the colour reflects the warmth of a roaring fire on a cold Autumnal night, as seen in this piece:

One of the other main qualities of citrine is the durability and strength of it. Made by heating amethyst or smoky quartz, citrine measures 7 on the Moh’s scale showing that it is sturdy and resistant to scratches, as well as beautiful.

For more examples of citrine and other types of silver jewellery, visit SeriouslySilver.

Aside from pearls from oysters, the sea isn’t the most likely place for people to look for materials to make jewellery out of.  Abalone is one material that just isn’t widely known or used throughout the modern world, which makes it a unique and attractive material for people looking for something a little different in their style.

Abalone can be defined as: “Any of various large edible marine gastropods of the genus Haliotis, having an ear-shaped shell with a row of holes along the outer edge”, but words don’t do this unique material justice. There is something about abalone shell in the way that it reflects light that makes it so attractive. It could be the way it reflects the colours of the sea, with deep blues and rich azul colours to greens and hint of indigo. So few materials can give such variety of colours and exciting glints in such precious pieces of jewellery. Take a prime example:

How many materials can give such a stunning range of colours in such a small and delicate piece of jewellery?

One of the other benefits of abalone shell is its versatility. It can be used as the main focus, as above, or as part of a larger pattern:

As cheap as silver and sterling silver jewellery is at the moment, there are still major auctions of high quality silver items as the world economy drags itself out of depression. Just last month, a single silver coin was sold for $7.85m in a private sale. The coin, a 1794 Silver Dollar, is believed to be one of the first silver coins to be struck by the US mint, justifying its incredible value. The not-for-profit Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation purchased the coin from Rare Coin Wholesalers for roughly £5.25m on May 21.

1794 Silver Dollar. Credit: Rare Coin Wholesalers 

Apart from the pricetag of the sale, which is exceptional in itself, one of the most surprising things we found is that it is thought to be one of the first uses of silver as coinage in America. With Mexico, where we source our jewellery, just across the border, and colonisation taking place around a hundred or so years earlier, it makes the quality of the coin all the more impressive. It’s a testament to the quality of the striking and the many qualities of silver (durability, un-reactivity, malleability) that has helped the coin last so long in such good condition.