KITCO NEWS – Sterling Silver: Time for Tea or Time to Sell? October 17, 2025 – Posted in: Press – Tags: , , ,

Dear Valued Clients,

The House of Kahn Estate Jewelers is proud to be featured once again in Kitco News, the world’s leading commodities news source. Neils Christensen, nationally-known editor of Kitco News and expert in all things commodities, interviews Tobina Kahn, President of House of Kahn Estate Jewelers, in the insightful article below. (Please feel free to contact Tobina Kahn to set up a complimentary appointment for her to view your Silver, Gold, or Jewels at: (312)-402-4000 or TobinaJwels@Aol.com)

Consumers are flooding the market with silver, but not enough to cap prices – House of Kahn Estate Jewelers

Published by: Neils Christensen of Kitco News
on Thursday, October 16th, 2025


Pictured Above: Sterling Silver Tea Set, photo courtesy of House of Kahn Estate Jewelers

(Kitco News) – After years of being ignored, the silver market is finally attracting significant attention — not just from retail and institutional investors, but also from Main Street consumers cashing in on silver’s unprecedented run.

In an interview with Kitco News, Tobina Kahn, President of the House of Kahn Estate Jewelers, said that although she expected to see a flood of customers coming in to sell their sterling silver items, even she has been surprised by the number of people visiting her Chicago-based shop.

“People are seeing this as a window of opportunity to raise some much-needed cash ahead of the holidays,” she said. “People have been holding on to grandma’s sterling silver tea set and now recognize its value. We are seeing items coming in that were wrapped in newspapers from at least 20 years ago. This is how long people have been holding on to these items, waiting to cash in.”

Kahn said that she recently bought a 150-ounce sterling silver tea set from a customer, which she valued at nearly $5,700.

“Some people saw these items as family heirlooms, but at these prices, sentimentality has gone out the window,” she said. “Because of inflation, groceries keep going up. The U.S. dollar’s purchasing power keeps going down. Government employees are getting furloughed, so there are a lot of people excited to have this new windfall just before the holidays.”

However, before consumers start selling off their flatware, Kahn said they need to make sure that their items are sterling silver — a silver alloy composed of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. Consumers should check their silver pieces, as certified sterling silver will be stamped or marked with the word “sterling” or “925.”

She added that silver-plated items still don’t have much value in the secondary market. Kahn also noted that she isn’t seeing many customers selling smaller silver jewelry, as these pieces don’t have enough weight to fetch a significant price.

While recycled silver begins to enter the marketplace, some analysts are wondering how long the silver market can sustain this unprecedented run. Not only have silver prices briefly pushed to new record highs above $54 an ounce, but the market is also up nearly 86% so far this year.

Looking at the secondary market, although consumers have been steadily selling their unwanted gold jewelry and other items, Kahn said there is still plenty of recyclable potential among consumers.

Despite the flood of customers, Kahn said she doesn’t expect recycled silver to fix the massive supply deficit in the marketplace. According to the Silver Institute, the silver supply deficit is forecast to reach around 187.6 million ounces — the third-largest deficit on record.

“I don’t think we will get enough tea sets that will meet Tesla’s silver demand,” said Kahn. “I think silver prices have to go a lot higher to balance this market, and I think we could see prices go to $100 an ounce.”

Along with robust industrial demand, Kahn said she expects solid investment demand to continue supporting both gold and silver prices.

“The Federal Reserve will continue to cut interest rates, and I think that will continue to drive gold prices higher,” she said. “There is no doubt the precious metals are having their day in the sun.”

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Please call or e-mail President Tobina Kahn for more information : TobinaJwels@Aol.com | (312)-402-4000