I've been ruminating on making this post for awhile, hoping I wouldn't have to- but the time has come to take action on the matter.
If you've been following along with most of your favorite jewelers you've undoubtedly heard at least one, if not more, talk about the rising costs of precious metals: Sterling Silver and Gold specifically.
We are currently, at the time of this posting, seeing the highest prices for precious metals HISTORICALLY. Personally, I just experienced seeing a $25 increase in less than two months for one of my most used sterling silver supplies! While this has been the biggest jump in price I've seen recently, we've been watching precious metal prices slowly rise over the last few years. Current word on the street is we could expect to see it rise even higher in the coming year(s).
What makes precious metal prices increase? Many, many things- turmoil in the world, war, unrest, recessions, supply and demand, etc... A new one I didn't know about until recently is that silver is used in a lot of tech and AI systems (another reason to ditch ChatGPT!).
So with alllll this in mind and now that I've recovered from the sticker shock of my latest supply order- I've come to a realization that I have to make some adjustments to my website listings and some of the designs I make.
Starting this Friday 10/24 I'll be putting a pause on my Custom Collections listings- these listings are for things like my classic Hammered Hoops, Sticks & Stones earrings in Silver and Gold-fill, and any other item on my site that's 'Made-to-Order' where you can customize the metal and/or stone in the listing.
*Prices will remain the same through the end of October for in person events (ie- Witchcrafted: Samhain Market this Saturday 10/25)
After that I'll still be making all those designs and you can still inquire to have me make a customized piece for you, I just won't have the listings available on the website until the metal market settles down. I will be pricing pieces as I create them at the current rate when I purchase the raw materials. Having to recalculate and reprice 25+ listings every month or so during these market flucuations is far too time invasive to be sustainable for this one-woman studio.
While prices may change, the quality you know of my work will hold strong and continue to grow. Remember that quality made Sterling and Gold jewelry aren't fast fashion destined for landfills, they are investments and pieces you can gift and pass down to loved ones. Maybe this challenging time is, in a way, an opportunity to refine our consumption and fill our closets and homes with pieces that tell stories and hold memories, pieces that bring us courage in the face of uncertainty, and fill our hearts with love and hope for kinder days to come.
SO- if you have had your eye on a pair of Power Hoops, eye-gem Sticks & Stones Earrings, etc... or even need a replacement hoop.... Get those orders in BEFORE Friday to lock in the current lower prices before I run out of metal stock at the previous cost bracket. See all the listings that will be affected here: Custom Collections
As for new work and the future of CHD.... I do think we'll see a lot of jewelers hang up their bench tools and close up shop, as I'm already seeing this happening in many of my online jewelers groups; I think we'll also see a birth of invention and creatives getting creative- it's what we do best after all! So I'll keep making and staying curious to bring you all the powerful and intentional jewelry you've come to know me for!
In closing my friends, it's a good time to give your favorite jewelers some extra love and support, along with all small and micro businesses- from home based to brick and mortar, we're all in this together.
A few suggestions to keep your favorite creatives and small businesses afloat:
- Shop their websites, market booths, and stores that carry their work as often as you can, and encourage others to do so too!
- Ditch the big box stores for gifts this year and SHOP LOCAL and HANDMADE! Instead of spending your wad with big corps, rally your friends and family to make a day out of hitting up your favorite small businesses- heck, make it a once a month thing and love bomb the heck out of your local community.
- Sign up for artists and local stores newsletters- many offer sales, perks, free shipping, and more throughout the holidays and beyond (ie- you already know about my annual birthday sale extravaganza!). This helps support the business and also your wallet if funds are tight but you still want to show up for them.
- Help promote your favorite artist, creative, and local business by sharing/liking/saving/commenting/etc their posts on social media, forwarding their newsletters, gifting their items, spreading the word, etc. This is great for individual creatives, brick + mortar stores, and even the art festivals and markets we set up at.
What do you think of these ideas to support small businesses? Do you have any other suggestions to share? We love to see it- drop a comment below to keep the support flowing!