Why Sterling Jewelry Costs More Right Now (and Why I Don’t Use Fantasy Math)

If you’ve been keeping an eye on silver lately, you already know it’s been climbing like it’s got somewhere important to be. As of today, silver is sitting around $109 per ounce, which is downright wild considering where we were not too long ago.

To make sense of it, let’s take a quick stroll through the last year or so — because mercy, it’s been a ride.

📈 A Quick Look Back: Silver in 2025

2025 was already a spicy year for silver. The average price hovered around $40 per ounce, but by late December it shot up to nearly $80 per ounce — the highest point of the year.

That jump alone had metalsmiths everywhere clutching their hammers.

🔥 Early 2026: Silver Takes Off Running

By January 2026, silver was already pushing into the $90+ per ounce range.

And then? It kept going.

Silver surged past $108 per ounce during a historic rally driven by tight physical supply, heavy investment demand, and global uncertainty.

Now we’re sitting at $109 per ounce, and it doesn’t look like it’s in any hurry to wander back down.

🤖✨ So… Does AI Have Anything to Do With This?

Surprisingly — yes. AI isn’t the only reason silver is spiking, but it’s absolutely one of the new forces pushing demand through the roof.

Here’s the simple version:

1. AI hardware eats silver for breakfast.

Every data center, GPU cluster, and high‑performance computing system uses silver because it’s the best electrical conductor on Earth. AI growth = more servers, more chips, more circuitry = more silver.

2. AI is fueling a tech manufacturing boom.

AI drives demand for:

• solar panels

• electric vehicles

• 5G/6G networks

• automation systems

• smart devices

All of those industries rely heavily on silver.

3. Investors now treat silver like a “tech metal.”

Silver used to be seen mainly as a precious metal or hedge. Now it’s grouped with lithium, copper, and semiconductor metals — meaning investors are buying it up fast, expecting long‑term demand from AI.

AI didn’t start the fire… but it sure poured gasoline on it.

🌍 Other Forces Stirring the Pot

Alongside AI, we’ve got:

• tight physical supply

• high global investment demand

• geopolitical tension

• refiners prioritizing investment bars over jewelry materials

In short: silver’s popular, scarce, and being tugged in every direction.

💍 What This Means for Jewelry Pricing

Most of my pieces are made with sterling, fine, or Argentium silver, and my pricing follows the real silver market, not the “I wish it were still 2018” numbers.

When silver goes up, my material costs go up — not just the metal itself, but:

• wire

• sheet

• solder

• findings

• clasps

• chain

• every tiny component that keeps your jewelry sturdy and beautiful

I hold off raising prices as long as I can, but eventually the math taps me on the shoulder and says, “Ma’am… it’s time.”

🪙 A Little Perspective

Here’s the climb in plain English:

That’s nearly tripling in a little over a year.

💬 Final Thoughts

I’ll always be transparent about pricing, materials, and what’s happening in the market. Silver is a precious metal — and right now, it’s acting like it knows it.

If you’re investing in sterling jewelry, you’re not just buying something pretty. You’re buying something with real, rising value behind it.

And as always, I’ll keep crafting pieces that honor the metal, the history, and the beautiful people that wear them.