Sunday 25 January 2009

Silver, silver

For those who make items in sterling you'll know how I'm feeling when I say I'm about to buy some more silver, always a nervous time as I try not to buy the wrong amount (too little can be as bad as too much!), make sure my measurements are right and double check I've not forgotten anything that I'm going to need in a week's time.

I've another big project on the very close horizon and, while I need to be a bit cagey about it here (just in case the recipient should stop buy and have a read), suffice to say it requires enough silver to make me gulp a little when I'd figured out the pricing.

How come no matter how much silver you end up accumulating it's just never the right size, shape, depth . . . ?



I buy most often from Cooksons Gold and they have a handy little page that shows you the pricing of precious metals so you can feel a bit annoyed at yourself that you either didn't stock up last week, three months ago or, even better five years back, before silver began to climb in price.

When I first started working in silver, around ten years ago, prices were relatively cheap and while it was still valued, and any left-overs pieces carefully put away for later use, it wasn't quite as painful as it is now when you make a mistake.

Having a wander around the net I've found a pretty scary site called Kitco which makes me think the sooner I place my order the better - although, naturally enough, the sooner I place it the sooner I can get started making which is probably more to the point.

I also found a graph (no, seriously, this is interesting!) showing the price of silver over 600 years; given the massive drop in its price around the mid eighties compared to what it had been previously, perhaps I'm wrong to even be complaining about the cost today at all!

Okay, back to figuring out my order and, despite the last paragraph, still seeing where I can cut back!

4 comments:

  1. That graph is fascinating, thanks for the link! I love statistics, which is just as well since I spend half my working week with them...

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  2. Not sure I'm very good with statistics but I am able to follow a graph! Glad you liked!

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  3. Glad I'm not the only one who procrastinates over buying supplies! I've been putting it off for three weeks to save my pennies, and today I find a glass pack that was a bargin at £48 has gone up to £75 because of the poor exchange rates! And whatever you buy, how ever careful you choose, I bet two hours later you remember something else!

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  4. Very little is as painful as discovering a massive price hike when at last you've convinced yourself to spend the money . . . you have my sympathy.

    And, yes, I was sent a brochure with my order and, naturally enough, I discovered something in its pages that I could have done with ordering!

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