# Silver bracelets at beach - buy or avoid?



## pjrose (Jun 23, 2010)

DD and I almost bought some silver bracelets today, but didn't have cash with us.  2 for $20, fairly hefty and cute.  They were marked .925, but are they likely fake?  Is the price from the beach peddlers decent compared to elsewhere?  The quality?  Should I stay away from the stuff that's sold on the beach?


----------



## judy23 (Jun 23, 2010)

We buy silver from the beach venders all the time. After many years they are still nice looking.I would not hesitate.


----------



## Helene4 (Jun 24, 2010)

The stuff on the beach may or may not be REAL silver...but who cares!
After negotiations  the prices are fine and if it falls apart in 6 months you've gotten some good use out of it. 1/2 of the fun is getting the best price you can. 
Some of the beach stuff I've bought is real and some is not. This gives me a good excuse to go back to Mexico. "Honey I need to replace some jewelry" :hysterical:


----------



## nazclk (Jun 24, 2010)

*A little trick*

a lady taught me in Cabo.  Carry a small magnet with you. If it sticks it's not silver.  If it doesn't bargain away.  Refer magnets work and are small.


----------



## pjrose (Jun 24, 2010)

I tried the magnet and didn't feel any attraction.  We got 5 bracelets for $32.  They're cute, and the price was ok with us.  I guess whether they're real or not really doesn't matter, as pointed out above!


----------



## Helene4 (Jun 25, 2010)

pjrose said:


> I tried the magnet and didn't feel any attraction.  We got 5 bracelets for $32.  They're cute, and the price was ok with us.  I guess whether they're real or not really doesn't matter, as pointed out above!



So NOW you have a GREAT excuse to take another vacation there when these bracelets: break/wear out/ turn your arm black or green!


----------



## pjrose (Jun 25, 2010)

Helene4 said:


> So NOW you have a GREAT excuse to take another vacation there when these bracelets: break/wear out/ turn your arm black or green!



:hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical:


----------



## Calady (Jun 25, 2010)

Don't buy ANYTHING from beach peddlers. They are hurting the merchants in the town who pay rent.

These folks are a nuisance and invade our sense of privacy with their forceful tactics.

Buying from them encourages more of them to come to the beach even though it is public.

I come for the recreation and relaxation not for commerce.

Calady


----------



## deedman (Jun 25, 2010)

do NOT buy silver from the beach, even though it is stamped .925 it is not silver, but rather alpaca, which is a lower grade metal, and although can look nice will tarnish alot more often and faster and require more cleaning.


----------



## kathyth12 (Jun 25, 2010)

Does it really matter if a bracelet is real silver if it costs $6-$7?  If it looks nice and you like it and you don't expect it to be a jewelry investment, go for it!  I personally don't like silver, so the jewelry sold on the beach is no temptation for me, although I have bought bracelets as gifts for other people, and they are still wearing them years after I bought them, so even if they aren't silver, they still held up.  I have occasionally bought other items at the beach on impulse - sundresses, beach wraps, woven bracelets, sunglasses, etc., and they have all been fine.  These purchases have not affected the merchants in town, because I wasn't going there anyway.  My  vacation is for relaxing, not shopping.  

I have never found the beach vendors to be anything but courteous.  They hold up their wares, I decline politely and they keep moving on.  Some of them have funny sales lines, which make me smile!  They're part of the Cancun experience, in fact, I missed them in the years of bad beaches.  Happy to see them back - everyone has to make a living!


----------



## John Cummings (Jun 25, 2010)

The chances are that any jewelry sold by a beach vendor is not silver nor gold. Both silver and gold basically have a world wide price. You get what you pay for. I have some 18 ct. gold jewelry from Mexico that was hand made for me by a friend that is a jeweler. It was quite reasonable because his labor costs are much cheaper but it definitely wasn't in the $20. price range.

That is not to say that you can't get some nice jewelry from a beach vendor for a cheap price. It just won't be genuine silver or gold. You have to watch some of the jewelry stores as well.


----------



## deedman (Jun 26, 2010)

I didn't say dont buy jewelry from beach vendors ... I just said don't buy silver, because it probably isn't silver.  If you like it go for it, but again .. if you WANT silver, don't buy from beach vendors.


----------



## CarolF (Jun 27, 2010)

I haven't been to Mexico but in my experience people who work on beaches are most often very, very poor, I rather like to support them if I can.    

If you are looking for genuine silver, ask the sellers to explain the methods they use for identifying silver (and also how to identify other metals/mixtures) and ask them to source silver for you.  They will make sure they get their cut and hopefully you will get silver.  If you are uncomfortable with the risk involved, it is better to source a reputable jeweller.


----------



## BlindBat (Jun 28, 2010)

calady said:


> Don't buy ANYTHING from beach peddlers. They are hurting the merchants in the town who pay rent.
> 
> These folks are a nuisance and invade our sense of privacy with their forceful tactics.
> 
> ...



I cannot speak for other areas but here in Cabo the beach vendors are licensed and pay taxes just like the shop keepers. They can be identified by an ID card that they wear.

There are a few unsanctioned ones around but they are often chased away by the legit ones.

For the record I find the shopkeepers just as intrusive on my space as the vendors (although both seem to be better of late)


----------



## pjrose (Jun 28, 2010)

BlindBat said:


> I cannot speak for other areas but here in Cabo the beach vendors are licensed and pay taxes just like the shop keepers. They can be identified by an ID card that they wear.
> 
> There are a few unsanctioned ones around but they are often chased away by the legit ones.
> 
> For the record I find the shopkeepers just as intrusive on my space as the vendors (although both seem to be better of late)



I found all the beach vendors here in Cancun to be very non-intrusive, just walking by, offering and smiling, and saying Gracias when I said no.  

I was interested that there may be some claim on customers, though.  The first day, when we considered buying but didn't have cash, we were dealing with a man.  We made a tentative deal, asked him what time he'd be by the next day, and said we might be there.  

The next day we went out and waited and let several bracelet peddlers pass by, but eventually we bought from a woman.  A little while later he came by; we apologized that we had already bought from the seniorita, and we got one bracelet from him too.  Then she wandered back and the two of them started a conversation in rapid-fire Spanish; not an argument, but the gist of it was a discussion about whose customer we were, since we had bought from both.  I think it was settled that we were really his customer, and had been waiting for him but she walked by first.  We have seen both since, and both were friendly, polite, and not at all pushy.  I've been wearing one bracelet for almost a week; it's still shiny and my wrist hasn't turned strange colors


----------

