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FAQ on the Jewelry

Is it made in Mata Ortiz?  No, the shards of broken Mata Ortiz pottery are mailed 1,500 miles away to Taxco, south of Mexico City.  Taxco is the silversmith capital of Mexico.  If you want the Mexican pottery, go to Mata Ortiz.  If you want the best Mexican silver, go to Taxco.

Who makes the jewelry?  It is designed by a husband-wife team who own a small business in Taxco.  The silver work is done by one silversmith, Agustín Torres Beltran.

How much silver is in each piece?  95% silver…5% copper.  Sterling silver is 92.5% so there is more silver in our jewelry than in sterling.  William Spratling wrote in 1937:  “Sterling .925 fine, being legally seven and a half percent copper alloy:the silver used with 98% has the enormous advantage that it will not oxidize as sterling does.  It does not stain a woman’s skin.  Also, it has a softer patina when finished.”