The appalling price of precious metal

[skeletoncrew]

I've been watching the prices of gold and silver for years. Partially out of curiousity, partially out of necessity. When gold passed $400 last year I was dismayed, now that I am getting ready to make my wedding band, it is approaching $500 an ounce. Silver is approaching $10.00 an ounce. It doesn't look like prices are going to go down any time

Comments

[skeletoncrew]

I started working in gold last summer and at that time I combed all my old jewelry for things I was willing to melt down. I then purchased an equal amount of new gold of the same karat weight. I feel like that was a good way to get a bit to start learning on, but now if I want to continue and expand my repetoire in gold...well, I only had so much to melt down.

Even the silver price is going to be an issue in my future work because I will be working in vessel forms next year and one of our projects is a sterling silver teapot. I know from other students that those regularly run $800 in materials, and that's at past prices.

Alternative materials are always a possibility, and I did produce a lot of slide pendants for holiday sales, but I'm in metals because of my love of silver and gold. I don't feel other non-ferrous metals work as well, I don't enjoy using them, and on the sales end--people automatically perceive things to be worth more if they're made out of a precious metal.

I really should re-visit Ganoksin, I've never gotten involved there and since I'm already involved in so many groups (various interests), I don't tend to go looking for more.

[josphin]

when bakelight(a new form of plastic in the 20's-30's..i think i've got the name right) came out it was used ALOT in jewelry, and was a big rage during art deco and what not, but then people started realizing it was just plastic, and it was so commen, and apperant in everyday life the jewelry made out of plastic started seeming cheasy...times change alot

[rainstorm]

I saw a plastic necklace (or something, I can't quite remember) on TV once that had diamonds set in it. It was from the 20s, I believe. Times do change - even the most avant garde of jewellery now probably would think twice before setting diamonds in plastic.