Jenny Knott, Silver & Jewellery Specialist
There is a perennial discussion around the valuation of silver in the current market; the feeling being that the many demands on silver in industry and technology will drive the price up as demand out strips supply. Many believe that it is only a matter of time before the base metal prices soars. Some say that it is already artificially suppressed by governments. There is much speculation.
Therefore, if I have £5,000 to spend on silver maybe I should buy uncommercial silver at scrap prices, hang onto it and hedge my bets. However, apart from the possible future pay out, and that is a big ‘however; where’s the enjoyment in that?
I have always felt that first and foremost I should like to enjoy my silver, and if it appreciates then happy days, but if not, I have had the pleasure of owning beautiful and possibly also useful items.
Fashions in silver, as with everything else change. There have been shifts in the market and mid-century silver, like mid-century furniture, is seeing something of a renaissance and might be a good place to invest a few thousand pounds. Makers like Gerald Benny and Stuart Devlin were influential pioneers in post war Britain, taking some of their inspiration from the clean lines of Scandinavian silversmiths, led of course by
Georg Jensen. £5,000 would enable you to purchase something from this genre of silver. It is likely to hold its value and may continue to rise and the objects themselves are stylish and pay tribute to the metal they are worked in.
However, if I forget about future proofing my investment and simply consider having £5,000 in my hand with no caveats, I would take myself along to The Goldsmiths Hall and buy something I fell in love with. I would have an individual piece which would give me great pleasure and I would have the additional thrill of supporting both emerging and established silversmiths. It is vitally important that we nurture silversmiths and encourage and support their craft. It is because others did this in the past, that we have such a rich variety of choice available to us today.
I particularly like the sinuous feel of Adrian Hope’s work and I could well be tempted to purchase silver bowls by Annabel Hood or Juliette Bigley. The Goldsmith’s Fair is a melting pot of top contemporary talent, and it would
be an utter joy to wander around pondering my self- indulgent spend.
The Goldsmiths Hall hosts an annual event in late September and early October each year. However, individual silversmiths exhibit all year round and can be found through their web sites. After a year of being unable to exhibit in 3D the appetite for seeing potential clients and having their wares on show have a renewed piquancy.
