Vintage Mexican Silver Jewelry Trademarks & Hallmarks

Have you ever noticed the letters, numbers, pictures or symbols on the back of Mexican Sterling Silver Jewelry? These marks are referred to as hallmarks or trademarks. They can help you identify where the piece was made, the identity of the silversmith and the approximate age of the piece.

The hallmark identifies the quality or the purity of the silver- i.e. .925, .999, .980, sterling or sterling silver. The hallmark may also include the date and location of the assay, the maker's mark and any import tax or duty. The maker's mark is used to identify the silversmith- generally their name or initials.

In 1980 Mexico silversmiths initiated a letter and number system to register silversmiths. The first letter indicates the city and the second letter is the first letter of the silversmith's last name. The most common cities are Taxco and Mexico City.

Some Examples:

TF-83 might be a piece made in Taxco by Fernandez who would be the 83rd smith to be registered as TF in Taxco.

MP-36 would indicate the piece was made in Mexico City by perhaps a smith named Perez who was the 36th smith registered as MP in Mexico City

JEWELRY stamped with 925 indicating it is sterling silver, Mexico and TC-85. Showing this is a sterling silver piece made in Taxco by a silversmith who last name begins with a 'C' and whose registration number is 85. We also know that this piece is no more than 25 years old or that it could be brand new. The owner of this piece indicated it was purchased in Mexico in the early 1980's.

From 1948-1980, Mexican silversmiths used an 'eagle mark' along with other markings, letters, names and logos. There are a variety of different styles of eagle marks- left facing, right facing, forward facing, some with a great deal of detail and others are simple line drawings. Each eagle has a number stamped on it which may indicate the location or the identity of the maker. We know that a #1 was for Mexico City and a #3 was for Taxco. There was great variation and exceptions to the eagle numbering system. Because there were so many exceptions, the eagle is not a reliable dating or identification system. We do know that it was in use roughly from 1948-1980. Some sources beleive the eagle mark system was in place as early as 1946.

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