This is a fabulous piece of abalone with colors ranging from gold to pink to blue, melding into a thick silver bezel.  It reminds me of a cloudy sky at sunset.  The piece comes from Taxco, known as the silver capital of Mexico. Taxco was one of the first mining centers to be inhabited by the Spanish explorers in the 1500s.  It prospered in the colonial period in the 1700-1800s and today is still renowned for its silver production and superb craftsmen.  The jewelry produced in Taxco is famous for the high grade of its silver.  The pieces we have brought back are stamped 925, which means they are 92.5% pure silver, the other 7 1/2 being copper.