Reflections on The Rising Cost of Silver (from a silversmith who works with it every day)

I don’t talk a lot about materials or pricing because I usually just chalk it up to "the cost of doing business" and adjust accordingly. But over the last year, silver costs have risen faster than I’ve ever seen and I’ve found myself sitting with it a lot more often and wanting to share a little of what has come to mind.

Right now, silver is sitting close to $39 per troy ounce,  nearly 30% higher than it was this time last year. It’s one of the sharpest price jumps I’ve seen since I started making jewelry. Silver cost 15 per troy ounce when I first started creating in 2016.

It’s not surprising, in a time when everything feels like it's shifting so much and the cost of everything is skyrocketing. But this rise feels steep, quick, and steady - it is something I can’t help but feel as a maker who works with silver every day. 

Why talk about it?
Maybe as a reminder that when you choose handmade, you’re choosing more than the materials it’s made from.

You’re choosing the hands that shaped it.
The time, the energy, the care that went into creating it.
You're putting food in my fridge and allowing me to pay the bills that inevitably show up every month.

You're also allowing me to purchase materials again, to continue creating. To continue sharing my art with the world. To pay for the space my studio resides - for creativity, connection, and the quiet work it takes to make something by hand.

And yes, materials matter too.

As the cost of silver rises, I continue to price my work based on what it is to me - a piece of art, made with intention, carrying the care and presence I bring to every part of my process with the desire for you to feel more like you the minute you put it on.

Please remember :

Handmade work isn’t priced by the ounce.
It’s valued by the energy, the story, and the honest care woven into every piece. It is valued by how it makes you FEEL when you put it on.

Thank you for not just buying a piece of jewelry.
Thank you for investing in a piece of my work and all the unseen hours and heart behind it.
Thank you for choosing to decorate the vessel you've been given.

xo,
Courtney Rae