Silver Ghost Town Comes Alive

Sterling Canyon reports on a lonely figure in the west Texas scrub.  Remember if you will the movie Andromeda Strain and the old town where all the bodies were found.  That was the ghost town of Shafter, the feeder to this silver mine you see here and soon to be a lively ghost town.  The price of silver in the past two years has risen 5 times what it was.  Two years ago, silver was trading at around $8.00/ounce. It closed today at around $38.00.  The price of Sterling Silver and the lovely jewelry that comes from it has gone up also.  With this news comes the announcement that a Canadian mining company Aurcana has revived the abandoned mine of Presidio in west Texas and plans to produce up to 3.8 million ounces of silver annually.  State history shows that Spanish Franciscan friars mined the area in the 1680′s.   There is still plenty of silver left in the area.  Will this production help reduce the price of silver?  Not likely.  The Chinese and India have shown a terrific appetite for precious metals in recent years and it doesn’t plan to subside.  Look for pricier jewelry in the future. Sterling Canyon has done its best to keep prices low on the jewelry it carries.  We had to raise some prices recently but the quality will never go down.

California Nixes Cadmium Silver Jewelry

As Sterling Canyon reported last October, the California Center for Environmental Health sued a number of retailers over their peddling of Cadmium laced childrens jewelry.  All of the jewelry is made in China, and today the suit was settled with Tween, owned by Suffern, N.Y.-based Ascena Retail Group Inc. which runs nearly 900 Justice stores, many of them in California.  Terms of the agreement state that no jewelry containing over 0.03 percent may be sold in California. 

According to the CNBC report, Michael Green, executive director of the Center for Environmental Health, said in a statement that Tween is “leading the industry in adopting this health protective standard for their jewelry customers.”  “The company responsibly recalled its cadmium-containing jewelry and went beyond California law in agreeing to instruct its suppliers to provide Tween with reformulated jewelry on a nationwide basis,” he said. “We expect other companies to follow suit, for the sake of their customers’ health.”  

The question remains as to why parents would buy cheap Chinese jewelry for their children. Ignorance may be a reason.  Or perhaps these parents live under rocks and are not aware of the poor product reputation China has created for itself.  One of the reasons why Sterling Canyon offers the finest Silver jewelry all made in the United States or Europe. 

Blackened Sterling Silver Goes High Style

Sterling Canyon reports from Hollywood where stars such as Halle Berry, Hilary Swank and Michelle Williams were seen working a silver or white look with their clothing during the Academy Awards.  Certainly the stars can afford Platinum jewelry but the average consumer cannot.  Plain Sterling Silver jewelry can be boring if not designed well.  Here is where blackened Sterling comes in.  It adds another
level to a fine metal that continues to increase in price in the commodities markets.  The styling and detail can also be remarkable like the earrings pictured right.  And it doesn't have to be expensive. Check out Sterling Canyon and see for yourself.

Sterling Silver Rises with the Tide

Sterling Canyon has an update report for you financial gurus out there who have not noticed the metals market lately, the price of silver closed at $36.09 per ounce today.  Like gold, silver is also on the rise.  Like any other commodity, finished products like silver jewelry increase in price as the raw materials increase.  I had to increase some of my prices on silver jewelry today.  One clue whether "silver"jewelry in real is in the price.  At $30 per ounce, real silver or Sterling Silver will become more expensive.  It is predicted that by the end of 2011, silver may approach $100 per ounce. A $10.00 Sterling Silver bracelet is not Sterling Silver.  At the most, it is silver electroplated.  Don't be fooled into buying cheap silver jewelry.  It ain't silver. Sterling Canyon will continue to offer fine Sterling at affordable prices. We'll do what we can to maintain the best prices for you.

Reds and Blues Rule in Jewelry for 2011

Sterling Canyon reports from New York fashion week the coming styles in fashion for 2011.  Some are not surprising considering that with a Democrat in the White House, fashion tends to get looser, brighter and more free-form.  The fashion designers are veering toward bright colors with reds, blues, greens, purples and oranges.  In the jewelry sense, this means large and bright gemstones.  People want to be noticed and people want their jewelry to stand out for all to see.  If you are going to wear big and bright, don't let it be cheap. No plastics or Chinese imitations from Macy's or Walmart.

As with non-stone jewelry, large cuffs will be in.  Whether you wear them around your neck or around your wrist, big is in.  This large wrist cuff above is from Thistle and Bee and is solid Sterling.  Quality and function will wear well this year.  Affordability is the key and Sterling Canyon offers all three.  Shop Sterling Canyon today.