How to Date Taxco Jewelry

Taxco jewelry is authentic Mexican jewelry that comes from the city of Taxco, Mexico. Taxco silversmiths have been perfecting their art for quite some time, and their pieces are available all throughout Mexico and the United States. While some period pieces are rarer than others, the best way to know the significance of the Taxco jewelry you have is to date it.

Instructions

1

Look for the item's marking. If the jewelry is authentic Taxco and bears no marking, or a marking that is not an eagle or two letters followed by a number, then the piece dates sometime between 1900 and 1948.

2

Check for an eagle stamp marking. Eagle stamp markings were used between the 1948 and 1970 in Taxco jewelry and would place your piece in that time period. Sometimes, however, eagle stamps were stamped on small pieces of metal attached by a loop to the jewelry if the jewelry itself could not be stamped. These were sometimes removed by the wearer, so the absence of an eagle mark does not necessarily mean it is not from the same time period.

3

Check for a letter and number marking. After 1980, it was required by law that a letter-number system be used to mark the jewelry, such as TM-03. If a "T" is present, it indicated the piece is actually from Taxco. Alternatively, an "M" would mean that piece was made in Mexico City. The second letter in the marking stands for the makers initials, while the number is the number assigned to that specific maker. This makes the item much easier to identify as actual Taxco jewelry, whereas the older pieces with no marks are harder to authenticate.