Jewelry businesses across Tasmania, Australia, and New Zealand are dealing with a tighter market than they were a few years ago. Supply is less flexible, silver is more expensive, and mistakes cost more than they used to. It does not matter whether the business is a traditional retailer chain or an online operation backed by an army of influencers. The pressure shows up the same way, in margins and inventory decisions.
Existing price conditions
The thing to note is that silver prices have been on the rise for the past 2 years. In fact, Perth Mint data shows that silver prices rose with 33%, whereas LMBA data shows 100%+ cumulative gains in 2025. That’s because silver is being used in the industrial setting more than normal these days, the recycling volumes are lower, and the mine supply is limited.
In 2024 alone, the global demand was well over 200 million ounces. As a B2B buyer, this shows systemic price increases. In this situation, what you want to do is to reduce exposure to the weight-driven costs, prioritise the proven SKUs, and also reduce any exposure to the weight-driven costs. It might seem like timing the market will help, but that won’t always happen, instead the aforementioned methods are much better.
Retail calendar planning
Since retail demand in New Zealand and Australia is influenced by cultural and seasonal events, it’s extremely important to focus on results and assess everything properly. That’s why the best strategy is to optimize your sourcing schedule to the various events and seasons, so you can avoid any risks related to your inventory.
Summer time
Summer time happens between January and February in this region. It’s also the time when events like Australia Day and Valentine’s Day are generating a lot of the sales. During this time, you want to be stocked with light jewelry, which is great for gifting.
Late Autumn
As we lead towards late autumn, you will have Mother’s Day, which is a time when a lot of people purchase jewelry gifts for their mothers. In fact, during this time around AUD $1 billion gets spent by consumers according to the Australian Retailers Association. And yes, jewelry is usually seen as the major type of product being sold.
Winter time
June-July is when you have holidays like Matariki which is now a public holiday for New Zealand. The long Matariki weekend tends to see an increase in jewelry spending. That’s especially true for those regions where there is a lot of tourism.
Late spring
During November, you have events like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, which are major worldwide events. They are just as important for Australian jewelry retailers, too. Around AUD $6.8 billion gets spent during this time, according to the Australian Retailers Association. It goes to show that this is a major time to be stocked properly with a huge variety of jewelry.
Early summer
December is Christmas time, so a lot of people are gifting jewelry and meaningful products. In fact, over 25% of Australians stated that jewelry is at the top when it comes to Christmas gifts. It shows that you need to have good, varied inventory during these last months of the year.
Cost management
Needless to say, there are many things that influence the cost of silver jewelry. You have supplier structure, freight, metal weight and other adjacent costs to consider. Going with the lightweight sterling silver designs is a good idea, because you reduce the metal costs without diminishing the quality. It allows you to keep good prices, especially as the silver costs are on the rise.
Since volume-based pricing delivers lower per-piece cost, it makes a lot of sense to bulk order, and you may want to go with established SKUs. You’ll have better inventory turnover, ready for the major retail events. And on top of that, you can also do freight consolidation. Consolidating shipments will reduce the handling and freight costs, especially when we talk about the international suppliers serving local retailers.
Choosing the right sourcing models
There are different options when it comes to sourcing models, each with their pros and cons.
- Sourcing directly from the manufacturer is ideal, because you have the lowest prices, and more control when it comes to product continuity. The downside is that you need a high order volume, and the compliance oversight is a lot higher.
- Wholesalers will tackle regulations, they will offer local stock, and they will ensure they don’t run out of the item you want to buy. However, they will add their own margins, which leads to a higher cost.
- And then we have marketplaces and aggregators. They do have a variety of items you can buy, however the quality, delivery and compliance will vary from seller to seller. There’s not a lot of consistency, which can become a problem later on.
Conclusion
Most businesses do not sit neatly in one sourcing category. They move between models depending on volume and timing. What tends to matter more is reliability. Supplier structures that combine manufacturing and wholesale usually remove some of the uncertainty around pricing and restocking. That is why some buyers stay with suppliers like 925silverjewelry.com, mainly for continuity rather than tactical buying.
At today’s silver prices, planning carries more weight than market sentiment. Inventory choices made months earlier often decide the season. For many jewelry retailers, sourcing remains one of the few variables they can still manage directly.
