Gold and silver are having a moment and not the fun, trend-led kind. The nerve‑wracking, global‑economy-is-feeling-wobbly kind. If your jewellery have been feeling more expensive lately, you’re not imagining it.
Over the past year, the cost of gold and sterling silver have climbed to record highs, and when metal prices rise, it doesn’t just affect investors or vaults. It trickles all the way down to the jewellery you wear.
That’s where we come in: understanding the “why” behind the price jump helps explain the choices jewellers face, and why honest, well-priced jewellery matters more than ever.
Why Gold and Silver Are Skyrocketing Right Now
We’ll make this boring bit quick and easy to follow.
The price of gold and silver aren’t just trending upwards. They’ve been hitting record highs, and several forces are driving it.
When the world feels unpredictable, investors see precious metals as a safe place to park money. Trade tensions, political upheaval, and central bank decisions push demand for gold up—and prices rise fast. Silver rises alongside gold, but is often under more strain because it’s pulled in two directions: investment demand and heavy industrial use.
Unlike gold, silver isn’t just for jewellery or investment. It’s essential for everyday tech: electric vehicles, solar panels, batteries, electronics. Industrial demand has surged, supply hasn’t kept pace, and prices have shot up.
Other factors add fuel to the fire. Changes in interest rates make cash and bonds less attractive. Currency fluctuations can push prices higher. And major geopolitical events keep investors cautious.
The result: gold and silver are expensive right now, and that ripple reaches everywhere—from the tech you rely on to the accessories you wear.
Jewellery starts with raw materials. Right now, those materials cost far more than they did even twelve months ago. The outcome is simple: making high-quality jewellery costs more. For everyone. Us included.
How Rising Metal Prices Affect Jewellery
When gold and sterling silver go up, jewellers are left with a choice. Actually, three.
Prices can be raised. Quality can be downgraded. Or changes can be hidden so corners can be cut in ways most people won’t spot straight away.
We only consider one of those acceptable.
At Oh My Clumsy Heart, rising costs don’t send us searching for cheaper shortcuts. We don’t swap in flimsy plated metals or change what sits underneath the gold, and then hide it from you.
Every vermeil and gold-fill piece we make still begins with a sterling silver base. Always has, always will.
That decision matters. It affects how a piece wears, how it ages, and whether it still looks good years down the line—not just on day one. It also means that when metal prices rise, we feel it immediately.
That’s the trade-off. Quality over compromise. Longevity over disposability.
It’s a choice we’re very comfortable making. And when metal prices come down again (though it might take a while), so will our prices. Our goal isn’t to squeeze every penny; it’s to make high-quality, well-made jewellery genuinely affordable.
Fair Pricing, Built In
When gold and silver prices rise, something has to give. For many jewellery brands, that increase is magnified by layers of markup: wholesale margins, shop rents, staffing costs, and pricing designed to allow for constant promotions.
We don’t work like that.
Oh My Clumsy Heart is an online-only brand (with the occasional craft market), with no wholesale stockists and no physical shop to support. Our jewellery isn’t marked up to survive that traditional retail structure, so prices start fair in the first place.
That matters when metal prices increase. Because we’re not compensating for inflated margins, any price changes we make are about covering the higher cost of gold and sterling silver—not absorbing extra overheads or protecting discounts.
It’s also why we rarely do sales. Our pricing isn’t built to come down later, because it was never pushed up to begin with. Just jewellery priced honestly from day one and only adjusted when the materials themselves genuinely cost more.
Gold and silver are expensive right now. For anyone who loves jewellery, that’s a bit of a gut punch but it doesn’t mean you should have to compromise on quality, durability, or style.
Well-made jewellery still starts with real materials, and when those materials cost more, the honest response is to be clear about why.
Every OMCH piece starts with real metals, made to last. When prices rise, we adjust only for the materials themselves. By keeping things online-only, refusing to cut corners on materials, and keeping our structure simple, our prices stay proportionate and transparent.
No smoke and mirrors. No hidden mark-ups. Just jewellery made properly, priced properly, and ready to be worn day after day, season after season.
