Gold & Silver Values Are Soaring: Why Jewelry Prices Are Increasing

Beloveds,

I want to be transparent with you about something important, because you've always been more than customers to us, and you deserve the full picture. Across the entire industry, you may be noticing jewelry prices increasing, and I want to explain exactly why you're seeing that happen here, too.

As we close out 2025, the landscape of creating handcrafted jewelry has shifted significantly. Precious metal prices have reached record highs, new tariffs have added unexpected costs, and maintaining fair wages for our makers while delivering the thoughtful, personalized experience you've come to expect requires us to make an adjustment. All of these forces together are what lead to jewelry prices increasing across so many of your favorite designs.

Starting December 1, 2025, our retail prices will reflect these realities. Most designs will adjust by 15–30%—a change we've worked hard to minimize, but one that's necessary to continue doing this work sustainably and with integrity. This is where you'll begin to see jewelry prices increasing on the website, even though the heart and soul of the work remain the same.

Here's what this means for you right now:

Through November 30th, we're still honoring 30% off most items with code BF30. If there's a piece you've been considering, now is the time to bring it home at current pricing before these jewelry prices increasing take effect.

This isn't easy to share, but it's the reality of building something real in a world where costs don't stand still. What won't change is our commitment to quality, to the people who make each piece, and to you—the community that makes all of this possible, even in a season of jewelry prices increasing around the world.

The Real Numbers Behind Jewelry Costs Rising

Precious metals have surged in 2025

Silver and gold are the backbone of so many of our designs. In 2025 alone:

• Gold has climbed from roughly the mid-$2,600s per ounce in January to a little over $4,100 per ounce this fall — a jump of around 55–60% this year. 

• Silver has risen from about $28 per ounce  to around $54 per ounce. That's a 86.72% increase this year alone. 

When the raw materials for your favorite necklace or ring go up this sharply, it affects every step: casting, plating, stone-setting, and even reorders of designs we’ve carried for years. These dramatic moves in the metals market are a major reason you’re seeing jewelry prices increasing in 2025.

Where you'll notice this most: our gold vermeil styles.

To meet the standard for true vermeil, and to create pieces that actually last, we plate our sterling silver designs with 2.5–3 microns of 14 to 18K gold. That's significantly thicker than the standard "gold plated" fashion jewelry you'll find elsewhere, which often uses just 0.5 microns or less.

When gold prices were more stable, that extra thickness was my way of quietly over-delivering. But with this year's surge in gold costs, those microns add real weight to our production expenses. Every bracelet, ring, and pendant now requires considerably more gold per piece. Designs with larger surface areas amplify that cost even further. This is another specific area where you’ll see jewelry prices increasing, because cutting corners on our vermeil quality simply isn’t an option.

I'm not willing to compromise by thinning the plating, that would defeat the entire purpose of what we're making. So our vermeil pieces will see some of the most significant price adjustments starting December 1.

It's a tradeoff I'm choosing intentionally: higher cost today for jewelry that wears beautifully for years, instead of pieces that fade or tarnish after a season. If longevity and true quality matter to you (and I know they do), that tradeoff is worth it.

Tariffs have reshaped international trade. And jewelry is a global craft.

I grew up in this industry knowing that jewelry is deeply, inherently international.

The reason I chose to major in International Business is because I saw firsthand how global this work really is. Asia and India are leaders in gemstone cutting and handmade jewelry production. As a teenager, I traveled with my family, and later through my university, to learn more about the industry and international trade. I did my internship in Thailand at a jewelry manufacturer… and I still work with that same manufacturer today.

Those relationships are at the heart of my collection.

To create Cristy Cali jewelry, we must work with international suppliers, gemstone cutters, and production partners. Importing jewelry is not optional for us. It’s essential.

On top of metal costs, the rules around importing jewelry into the U.S. have shifted dramatically this year.

In 2024, the average U.S. tariff rate on imports sat around 2.5%. In 2025, new policies and a baseline import tax pushed that average closer to 20–22%, with fashion and jewelry among the industries feeling it directly. Reuters+1

For us, that has translated into roughly 8–12% higher landed costs on several core designs this year from tariffs alone, before factoring in the jump in silver and gold.

Growing a team, without cutting corners

2025 has also been a year of growth.

Our team is expanding so we can ship faster, answer your messages with real care, develop new designs, and deliver the kind of magical unboxing experience you’ve come to expect. That means:

• Paying our makers and staff fair, livable wages

• Investing in elevated packaging, photography, and quality control

• Absorbing higher costs on shipping, insurance, and operations

I refuse to solve these challenges by cutting quality, hollowing out designs, or quietly switching to cheaper, less durable materials. I would rather be honest about the true cost of doing this work the right way, and adjust our prices to reflect that. Even if it means you’ll notice jewelry prices increasing on certain pieces.

Our commitment to you

Even with these changes, my promise remains the same:

• High-quality jewelry crafted with intention

• Honest materials and transparent design stories

• Thoughtful packaging that feels like a gift, even when you buy it for yourself

• Human, heart-centered customer service rooted in the belief that you are beloved

I want every piece you bring into your life to feel like a tiny altar: to your story, to New Orleans, to Guatemala, to whatever you’re remembering or healing or celebrating.

How our membership helps collectors save

This moment also feels like the right time to share more about our re-launched membership program, created especially for our most dedicated collectors.

Our members enjoy:

• 15–20% savings on every order, year-round

• Access to member-only sales with markdowns up to 60% off select designs

• Exclusive pieces you won’t find anywhere else, including Mayan Jade I source from my home country of Guatemala

• Priority and early access to new releases and micro-batch Cali Krewe exclusives

• Additional perks designed to elevate the entire collecting experience

This is a paid program, and it’s meant for those who know they’ll collect throughout the year. If you talk to our long-time members, they’ll tell you that the savings, access, and insider experience more than pay for themselves when you’re building a meaningful collection, especially with jewelry prices increasing across the wider market.

If you’d like to learn more about membership and whether it makes sense for you, click here for an interactive video I created for you, or fill out this inquiry form and someone from my team will reach out. 

In case you’ve been eyeing something…

To recap:

Now through November 30:

• Use code BF30 for 30% off most items before new pricing takes effect.

Starting December 1:

• Retail prices will increase by 15–30% on most designs, reflecting the reality of today’s metal, tariff, and labor costs. That’s when you’ll see jewelry prices increasing officially reflected across our catalog.

If there's a piece that's been calling to you... a dainty fleur de lis, celestial earrings, a gemstone talisman, or that charm you keep returning to—now is the time to bring it home at current pricing.

We offer flexible payment options through Klarna, AfterPay, Shop Pay, and PayPal, so you can enjoy your piece immediately while spreading the investment over time. It makes bringing something meaningful into your life a little easier.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for walking this path with us at Cristy Cali Jewelry, through the highs, the hurricanes, the experiments, and the challenging conversations like this one. Your support allows me to keep designing with integrity, honoring New Orleans, Guatemala, and paying the people behind your jewelry fairly, even as the reality of jewelry prices increasing continues to shape our industry.

You are beloved.

With gratitude,

Cristy Cali
Founder & Designer