Newsletter - February 2026
Rising Silver Prices: What It Means for Antique Silver
If you’ve followed the headlines recently, you may have noticed gold and silver prices being mentioned more often. Against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty, rising inflation, and shifting markets, silver prices have been quietly climbing — and people are starting to take notice.
Unlike shares or digital assets, silver is something many of us already own. It might be in the form of old jewellery, cutlery tucked away in a drawer, a pocket watch, or a family heirloom.
Part of the rise is down to silver’s long-standing reputation as a tangible store of value. When confidence in currencies or markets weakens, precious metals often attract renewed interest. Gold tends to dominate the conversation, but silver usually follows close behind.
At the same time, silver plays an important role in modern industry. It’s widely used in electronics, medical equipment, and renewable technologies such as solar panels. Growing demand in these areas, combined with higher mining and production costs, has added further pressure on supply.
Closer to home, this renewed interest has prompted many people to take a second look at items they already own. Importantly, the value of silver isn’t just about weight. Age, craftsmanship, maker, and condition all play a part — particularly with antique and vintage pieces.
It’s also worth remembering that scrapping old silver isn’t always the best option. Many antique items are worth far more as complete objects than their melt value alone, and once they’re broken down, a small piece of history is lost forever.
Rising prices shouldn’t necessarily mean rushing to sell or make quick decisions. Instead, this moment offers a chance to better understand the objects we’ve lived with for years. Whether prices rise further or settle back, silver’s appeal remains the same: practical, durable, and quietly enduring.
In the workshop this month - 1950's Landeron 51 Watch
This month’s workshop feature is a beautiful vintage chronograph powered by a Landeron 51 movement, a calibre that played an important role in mid-20th-century watchmaking.
Introduced in the 1950s, the Landeron 51 is part of a family of cam-operated chronograph movements that helped make mechanical chronographs more widely available. While simpler in construction than earlier column-wheel designs, the Landeron 51 is known for its robust layout, dependable operation and distinctive chronograph action — characteristics that made it popular with many Swiss watch brands of the period.
When this watch arrived in the workshop it was in need of some attention. We carried out a gentle service and clean on the movement and polished the case and crystal to remove some of the layers of grime and wear, without losings its character.
Alongside this, the watch was fitted with a new strap, chosen to suit the character and proportions of the piece while making it comfortable for everyday wear.
There’s something particularly satisfying about working on vintage movements like the Landeron 51. They’re honest, well-engineered mechanisms from a time when mechanical solutions were pushed to their limits, and seeing one brought back to clean, smooth operation is always a pleasure.
Monthly spotlight - A Bracelet With a Story
This antique silver ID bracelet, hallmarked in London 1916, is more than a piece of jewellery, it’s a tangible piece of WWI history. Presumably a gift for a loved one heading off to war, it gets you thinking: who wore it, and where did it travel?
The engraving links it to the Royal Army Service Corps, the unit responsible for supplying the British Army with food, equipment, transport, and ammunition. Their role was vital to the war effort. This bracelet connects us to real lives, quiet sacrifices, and stories that still deserve to be remembered.
