The price of silver

I was going to buy some silver metal clay this past week to top up my supply. I haven't bought any in about 6 months. At that time, the price of silver was $19 per oz.   When I went onto the usual website where I buy metal clay, the price was just so off-putting. Silver metal clay prices are directly influenced by the silver price and today the price of silver has increased to $34 per oz.  So in 6 months, the price of silver has nearly doubled.  When I started working in metal clay in 2005, the silver price was $7 per oz.

Data from http://silverprice.org/silver-price-history.html

I actually left the website open on my laptop for a week, trying to adjust to the change in price before I pressed the "buy" button.  In the end, I checked what I already had in my studio and decided not to buy any more.

It has really made me stop and think about what I am doing.  While I was away in Mexico over December and January, I got to try lots of other different media.... and loved it - so with these silver prices, I think I'm going to focus more time on things other than silver for a while. 

I've been wanting to have some time to work more on my aluminum techniques...and also other types of clay, so this seems like the perfect time for this.  I'll obviously continue with silver clay and have a few commission to do...but I'll make sure that I make time for other materials too.

How is this silver price increase affecting you and your work or your buying of jewelry?