Hello.
I went to Mexico to buy Mexican jewelry for the first time in a while.
The last time was at the end of 2022, so it's been about two years.
Those of you who follow this blog, Instagram, or shop will know this, but we ran out of stock. We started it on a whim and many people purchased it, which made me happy, but at the same time, the thought of traveling 14 hours to Mexico made me hesitant to do it, so we left it alone for two years.
This time, I had work in San Francisco and Mexico City, so I bought some goods there. This is my first time visiting Mexico at this time of year. It was colder than I expected in the mornings and evenings, but it was still comfortable enough to wear short sleeves during the day.
As mentioned in the title, first of all, I felt that the price of jewelry has gone up. Basically, when Mexicans sell jewelry, the price is determined by the weight multiplied by a percentage set by the store. It felt like the price of silver had gone up about twice as much. I only looked it up on the Internet, but although silver mining in Mexico is active, it is said that silver will be depleted in 20 years, and I suspect that this is what is causing the price rise. I also felt that the price of things itself has simply gone up.
As for actual purchasing, every time I visit, there are so few items that I worry about whether this is the right way to go about it, but this time I made some efforts and unearthed some nice pieces of jewelry. It may sound like I'm bragging, but although the prices have gone up compared to two years ago, I think the quality and atmosphere of the jewelry has improved.
Another thing I felt while there was that Mexicans are beginning to realize the value of second-hand clothing.
Last time I visited, I didn't encounter many second-hand clothing stores or dealers, but this time there were a lot of second-hand clothing stores at the second-hand clothing event and the famous vintage market. Although I like second-hand clothing, I don't have any knowledge about it so I didn't buy any, but there were a lot of good quality military items and second-hand Carhartt clothing. Carhartt in particular seems to have a large amount of stock, as it was produced in Mexico. I think the second-hand clothing market will probably become more active in the future.
This is just my own speculation, but I think Mexicans are starting to realize the value of vintage items, which until now have been bought up by knowledgeable Japanese and Americans.
I have purchased about 30 pieces of jewelry, and I plan to take detailed photos of them later and get them ready to sell.
Every time I go, I lose confidence, but if I don't give up, I come across something I never expected and am hit with a sense of accomplishment I've never experienced before. It's not my main job, but this buying trip made me think that maybe I was able to experience a little bit of the fascination that secondhand clothing dealers have.
I took lots of pictures so I'll upload them later.
Well then.
Owner of SUNFOLD