You will not typically find me haunting jewelry stores, but I gotta say that the windows of Puerto Vallarta's jewelry shops are difficult to walk past without stopping for a look. On the corner of Calles Carranza and Vallarta in Old Town, Taxco Exporta Jewelry is one such shop.
I affectionately nicknamed my GF "Mexico's favorite customer" because despite being in a culture where commerce is based on negotiation, she cannot help but pour over merchandise with glee, exclaiming "It's SO BEAUTIFULLLL!!!" And yeah, I'm pretty much fugazi at that point. Bargaining position: blown!
So was the sitch at Taxco Exporta Jewelry. We were drawn inside by the dramatic silver sculpted animals and mermaids and found lots of pretty, sparkly things to delight her. The sculpted work in particular is astounding and powerful. We spoke with Eric (pronounced the Spanish way), who explained that the larger pieces are bonded silver over a porcelain figurine, touched up in places with paint. The results are stunning.
My GF tried on some beautiful pieces, necklaces and really large rings, mainly. Prices are in USD and, while low by US standards, still exceeded our souvenir budget. We'd already picked up a ring by Mexican artist Sergio Bustamante, which she absolutely loves. Eric did try his best to find a price that would suit us for the piece she liked the most because, you know, it was "SO BEAUTIFULLLL!!!", lol. It just wasn't the right time for us.
On our next visit to PV, it's likely we will bring some more USD and revisit Taxco Exporta! read more