| Are the bracelets sold in Miao villages silver? | |
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| Aug 13, 2007 19:35 |   |
 | Are the bracelets the Miao women sell you after the dance in the village square made of silver or some base-metal? As you can see from the picture...I was mobbed. BTW - The short trip to the Miao village was one of the favorite parts of my trip. Were I do visit again, I would spend 3 or 4 days walking between the villages...as it was...I was an ordinary tourist. :( Lengde outside of Kaili.  |
| Aug 13, 2007 19:37 | #1 |
| ...and here is the little sweetheart who took me dancing in the circle... :)  |
| Aug 14, 2007 04:42 | #2 |
| Maybe real silver, maybe not. We have to admit there are too many fake things especially sold in tourist spots. So sad...... |
| Aug 14, 2007 20:03 | #3 |
| I don't think they are pure silver. They must be melted with other metals. |
| Aug 14, 2007 20:39 | #4 |
| A group of us stayed overnight in Upper Lenge and it is possible to walk between the villages back to Leishan. Another good place to go trecking is further up that valley. You can stay in Xingyi ( or Yixing) I think but it is getting pretty commercial and hike to surrounding villages. Otherwise I would suggest Further south around Congjiang, Rongjian and Sanjiang. We stayed a couple of days in Zhaoxing, very isolated too as it is off the main tourist path and is home to different Miao and Dong groups. Most of the jewelry is silver but it would probably not be of the quality that we are accustomed too. It is also very cheap. |
| Aug 17, 2007 04:20 | #5 |
| Hi,GRIZ326 , Can you share with all for the most impressive places for Kaili in your opinion? Or which places can't miss if any other TCG friend visit them? Thanks! Yours sincerely, Susan Zheng (China Tour Guide) MSN: hotmail.com|Susan205060 |
| Aug 18, 2007 23:55 | #6 |
| I think Jabarootoo offers more experienced recommendations than I could offer you. The villages in the mountains outside of Kaili all looked very interesting; they are certainly more interesting than the big cities to me. I do not believe a traveler will be disappointed spending some time in those villages. |
| Apr 26, 2009 09:20 | #7 |
| GUEST47103 | -------of course, not silver!! ---how could you even think twice that these poor people would sell you silver at a fraction of its value!! --its "bai tong"(chinese) " cupro-nickel (latin/english) white copper (english). its all made in the factory /workshops in and around kaili.; but by miao and other minority craftsmen/women. so;---- its all-- " the real thing!!!! --------and ; as you have expierienced;-----so are these charming and genuine tribespeople.--- but; we all got to make a dollar where we can ---right??!!---- i wonder ----;if any of these minority people got together enough money from selling a non-silver bracelet or two; ----that they would want to be a tourist in your neck of the woods. and if they did;----- what kind of "souvenirs' they might find available for sale----- and at what kind of prices????!!!!! --- happy trails--- and stay alert!! |
| Nov 2, 2010 11:41 | #8 |
| GUESTJEWELRY... | I was in China this past April with a tour group for 27 days. After a while I lost track of places and they all began to blur together. I bought loads of silver bracelets/bangles & neck pieces while I was in southwestern China. But I could not recall, looking back now, whether I was actually in a Miao village or not at one point. All the pieces I bought were from street vendors and some small shops and of course, I was told that they were made of silver. I had my doubts at the time but bought them nonetheless. My brother-in-law, a gemologist, tested on several pieces and proclaimed that they were made of mystery metals covered with an extremely thin layer of silver veneer. The underside of one bangle is discolored already - two large copper color spots appeared, but I had never even worn it!! They are lovely pieces but definitely looked factory made. I will display them in china cabinets instead. Some said the Miao silver content is 90% and others said it's 60% or 30%, I guess it all depends on which retailer or website you want to believe in.  |
| Dec 25, 2012 20:10 | #9 |
| GUEST96235 | no one buys it on ebay so that should answer the question. people are not as stupid as some think. |
| May 10, 2017 16:49 | #10 |
| GUEST15737 | Its about 50% silver also copper generally more expensive because of the workmanship |
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