The cold and gloom is here to stay, it seems. This is about as light as it gets most days.
I pass by a sports store most days on my way to work. I always smile at this poster. So many advertising campaigns these days are so heavily stylised, with filters, fillers, colour adjustments, full makeup, muscles and facial tweakments. There is not a wrinkle or line in sight, or a hair out of place. This photo just exudes pure joy. It looks completely natural.
I went to my local auction house the other day, as I was nearby. I buy and sell most of my jewellery here, as well as have my jewellery valuations done for insurance purposes. Normally the wait to sell or have valuations done is 5 to 10 minutes. Due to the huge jump in gold and silver prices over the past week or two, the waiting room was packed and the wait was at least an hour. In the 26 years I have been a customer, I have never seen the shop so packed. Then again, I have a heavy chain I bought at melt value for $500 about eight years ago and it has just been valued at $3800. If I had lots of inherited/broken gold items lying around I would probably sell them too.
There is also a new service where you request a security envelope and post your precious metals to them. I have always had a few pieces of ‘investment gold’ because my mother told me it will always have value, no matter where you are, and I have noticed the price has tripled over the last few years, thanks to the volatile geo-political landscape. So many people are wanting to buy gold now, but to me (as a non-expert) it is not a good time to buy when the price is so high. I think it will go higher this year and then start to fall. But again, I am not an expert.
I had to have passport photographs taken, and while I was waiting I saw this. Normally you see married couples or kids as the fake photos in the frames. I have never seen one with pets in it before!
This ….not sure what to call it… was in an antique shop that was closing down. It gave me Alice in Wonderland vibes – more creepy than cute.
Very Alice and creepy! And yes. Bullion prices are bonkers. It’s going to be very challenging for me and all the other small jewellers; many of the heavier weight pieces I make (bangles and crochet hooks which traditionally have been my best sellers are now worth more as scrap than I was selling them at in November.
Oh wow Dawn, I had not thought of that. I love your bangles! Are your customers willing to buy at ever higher prices? I was wondering if the auction house I was talking about in the blog post have had to increase all their prices. They have thousands of items in their shop, sold by themselves and on commission for clients.
I’m hoping there’ll be another drop. It seems to have leveled at about £3500/kg (it was £416/kg when I started in 2016, and about £1200/kg in November) after peaking at about £4200 at the end of January. I’ve my first event of the year next weekend, so it will be interesting to compare sales and comments to last year’s equivalent event. I’ve not adjusted all my stock pricing, just the stuff I wouldn’t be able to buy materials to remake. And thanks for the compliment!
I think there will be another drop. After it hit the peak that morning, it dropped off quite sharply in the afternoon. I wish all the rich and powerful people would stop playing silly buggers as though the world is their personal Monopoly board.