Silver Prices in 2010

Bob sent me this article at the end of 2009, so it's a little dated, but look at the predictions for silver prices in 2010! Ugly!! Silver is increasing in price much faster than gold. Not good news.

Silver Price Popping into 2010



Precious metals prices were popping off of holiday lows Monday as traders returned to the markets.

Gold had jumped as high as $1124 an ounce by 9:30am in New York and silver soared to $17.59 by 11am as a weaker dollar made the shiny cousins much more attractive.

If silver continues to rally toward the $18 level, we can expect further price increases on industrial demand, says CommodityOnline, as manufacturers “buy on concerns of having to purchase silver at higher prices later.”

Silver is also benefitting from promising Asian manufacturing data and the hope of a strengthening global recovery. The HSBC China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) climbed 0.4 to 56.1 in December, making it the ninth month in a row that the PMI has been above 50.

Silver closed Monday at $17.58 an ounce up 4.21 per cent, nearly double gold which closed up 2.23 per cent to $1120.90 an ounce. Silver prices gained 48 per cent overall for 2009 compared to 24 per cent for gold. Today being a prime example, the white metal is expected to outperform its yellow counterpart in 2010.

While investment demand for silver helped drive prices higher this past year despite flagging global industrial growth, industrial demand for silver will fuel record highs in 2010, say many analysts.

“As precious metals, silver benefits from many of the same market drivers as gold,” said analysts at Castlestone Management. “While not typically a major reserve of central banks, investment demand has been increasing for many of the same reasons as for gold. But as a metal with greater industrial usage, it is more highly leveraged to the improving economy.”

According to Angel Commodities, silver will “witness a bullish phase as new avenues of demand open up amid the existing traditional applications of the metal” and prices will “trade in the range of $14..00 - $24.35″ an ounce.

An example of one “new avenue of demand” comes from the electronics industry and the use of silver in photovoltaic applications for solar energy panels, which has the backing of several government programs that encourage development of renewable energy sources.

CPM Group associate director of research Carlos Sanchez has a bullish outlook for silver as well and expects prices “to, perhaps, top $20 later this year.”

David Wilson, Societe Generale metals analyst, anticipates gold prices helping “to keep silver buoyant” along with “the proliferation of new industrial uses [helping] to tighten the market’s fundamental balance.” Wilson says Societe Generale expects silver to average nearly $22 an ounce in 2010 and $26 an ounce in 2012.

Whether global economic growth does pick up in 2010 or economic conditions around the world worsen, silver investors stand to benefit over the long-term.

Besides the COMEX spot market and purchasing physical silver, there are other options for making great silver plays including exchange-traded funds and silver mining stocks.

New Designs

I have lots of new designs and design ideas for 2010 and beyond. I finished the first semester of a metalsmithing class and will begin the 2nd semester next week. This has opened up lots and lots of new techniques and I have tons of ideas swirling in my head.

I'm slowly but surely practicing these metalsmithing techniques so that I can create items that I feel are fit to sell. Jewelry making acts as a creative outlet for me; my goal is not to churn out piles of jewelry that I can quickly cash in for money. I have a full time job that pays my bills (and a husband with a job), so I don't rely on my jewelry sales for income. Most of the money that I make from my jewelry is spent on the business--new tools,classes,rock and other supplies. I've found that metalsmithing can be done with a minimum of tools, but there are lots of nice to have tools that cost a lot. I have bought some, but my wish list is still long.

I have also almost completely outfitted my lapidary studio. I have a really nice trim saw, groove cutter and a Genie. I still need a slab saw. My husband has a large homemade one, but it's currently not in working order. I have made a few cabs, but none are up to my standards yet, so it'll probably be a while before I'll have bezel set stones for sale.

These are some hand fabricated copper charms that I will be incorporating with some of my pendants:


I also have my maker's mark picked out for my designs. There is a story behind it that I'll talk about in the future.

By the way, I'm not trying to sound superior to those who do design jewelry for a living by saying I don't rely on this business for my income. I admire those who are willing to take such a financial risk. I know a husband/wife team and a young girl who do this for a living and I wouldn't want to be in their shoes. I can tell by their attitudes towards other designers (don't like them, go out of their way to discredit them) that it's a tough lifestyle. Good luck to them.

Anybody can sympathise with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathise with a friend's success. --Oscar Wilde

Upcoming Shows September & October, 2009

September 12 & 13: Art World at Marathon Park in Wausau, WI. We will be in the multi purpose building also known as the hockey rink. We think we will be in the same spot as last year.

September 26 & 27: Oshkosh Rock Show, Sunnyvale Expo Center in Oshkosh, WI. We will be sharing a booth with Relics Rocks and Fossils.

October 3 & 4: Jefferson Rock Show at the fair grounds in Jefferson, WI. Unfortunately I have to work at my real job that day, but "R" will be there.


As always, thanks for your business and I hope to see you at a future show.

Mt Horeb Show and others

Upcoming Shows:

Mt Horeb Art Show: July 18th and 19th on the main street of Mt. Horeb
WaunaFest: July 25th
St. Germaine Flea Market: July 27th
Boulder Junction Flea Market: July 28th
St. Germaine Flea Market: August 3rd
Boulder Junction Flea Market: August 4th
Mercer Loon Days: August 5th
St. Germaine Flea Market: August 10th
Minoqua Krazy Days: August 11th
St Germaine Flea Market: August 17th
Boulder Junction Flea Market: August 18th
Paul Bunyon Days, Eagle River: August 19th
Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Fest: August 22nd-23rd

Thanks for your patronage - we hope to see you at a future show.

June 2009 Shows

Mondays, Memorial Day thru Labor Day: St Germain Flea Market
Located in St Germain, Vilas County, WI at the intersection of Hwy 70 & Hwy 155
Hours are 8am-3pm and is held rain or shine. We are located under the building overhang.

Tuesdays, June 2-August 25: Boulder Junction Flea Market
Located in Boulder Junction, WI at the Community Center. Our booth is near the bike path.

June 6 & 7: Dells County Historical Society Arts and Crafts Fair at Taste of WI Dells.
Located in Bowman Park, hours are 9-4 on Saturday and 9-3 on Sunday.

June 13: 28th Annual Sun Prairie Taste of the Arts Fair
Located at Sheehan Park, 1350 Linnerud Drive, Sun Prairie, WI
Hours are 9-4.

Syttende Mai

Our first show of 2009 will be the Syttended Mai Arts and Crafts Fair in Stoughton on May 16 & 17. This is an outdoor fair held near River bluff Middle School. We will be in booth 16. Come check us out - we have lots of new stones available.

Holiday Fest

Thanks again to those who came to see us at the St. Alberts show. There were some neat things there and it was definitely one of those shows where I spent more than I earned! Our next and last show of 2008 will be at Warner Park on Saturday, December 6th. We will be featuring several new stones, all in shades of blue. There was a major blizzard on the day of this show last year--lets hope for better weather this year.

Bloodstone

One of the new stones I will be featuring at the next show is Bloodstone. Bloodstone is a dark green stone (chalcedony) with tiny spots that range from deep gold to deep red (iron oxide). It is sometimes called Heliotrope. Legend has it that this stone formed when drops of Christ's blood fell and stained the stones at the foot of the cross. This is one of the harder stones to find and I am glad to be able to offer it.

We also have several new jaspers including some fabulous Blue Ribbon Jasper.

St. Albert the Great Holiday Craft Fair

Thanks to everyone who came to see us at Christmas in the Country. We'll be back next year and hope to see you there. Our next show is this Saturday, November 22nd, at St. Albert the Great Church in Sun Prairie. If you haven't been to see us in a while, we have tons of new stones--come check it out!

Upcoming Shows

Thanks to everyone who came to see us at the Oshkosh Rock and Gem Show. And thanks to Relics Fossils and Rocks for allowing us to display some of our designs at their booth--we really appreciate it.

Here's a list of our upcoming shows for the rest of 2008--keep checking back, more will be added:

Oct 4 & 5, 2008 (Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4)
36th Annual Rock and Gem Show
Jefferson County Fair Park, Jackson and Peurner Rd, Jefferson, WI
Relics Fossils and Rocks has once again offered to display some of our designs

Saturday, Nov 8, 2008 (9-3)
Christmas in the Country
Deerfield Elementary
340 Quarry St, Deerfield, WI

Saturday, Nov 23, 2008 (9-3)
Holiday Craft Fair
St. Albert the Great Church
2420 St. Albert Drive, Sun Prairie, WI

Saturday, Dec 6, 2008, 2008 (9-3)
Holiday Fest Arts & Craft Show
Warner Park Community Recreation Center
1625 Northport Dr, Madison, WI