Silver renaissance
Once considered the quiet underdog of luxury metals, silver has re-emerged as a favoured accent on runways, in galleries, and even on balance sheets. “Precious but not prohibitive,” as per a recent Vogue Singapore article, today’s silver has swagger. It can be sharp-edged chainmail on a blazer, a glinting orb in an art installation, or a platinum-hued statement necklace at Cannes. For the modern woman who embodies both artistic flair and financial savvy, silver boasts the cachet of a jewellery box staple with the stability of an old-world heirloom. It’s an asset that transcends mere ornamentation – in fact, top stylists and analysts alike are calling silver’s moment a true “renaissance.”
“In the world of metals, the pendulum has swung back to the side of silver, and I’m anticipating bolder, sculptural silver pieces as front-and-center of this trend,” an ELLE USA article on jewellery trends for 2025 confidently declares.
It’s true. Lately, it seems like runways can’t get enough of silver. In Spring 2023 collections, silver was everywhere: Gucci, Versace and Chanel sent mirrored fabrics, liquid lamé and spangles down the catwalk, proving metallic hues need not be reserved for year-end parties. Fall/Winter 2023 continued the streak – Veronica Beard’s models were draped in chunky silver chains and spike chokers, while critics noted social media posts about silver necklaces spiked some 80% year-over-year. Even street style photographers seized on the surge in its popularity: toweringly stacked silver hoops, oversized cuffs and sculptural chokers have become everyday accessories, breaking the long-held dominance of the ‘classic’ simple gold hoop and delicate chain combo. As Vogue UK’s insiders report, “after years of gold hoops … silver is starting to regain popularity when it comes to everyday jewellery.”
On a catwalk on home soil, Mumbai designer Anamika Khanna recently christened her pret label AK|OK’s Spring Summer 2025 collection Silver Collar. The name says it all. Here, a sharply tailored trouser suit is punctuated by a raised V-neck collar of glinting chainmail. Khanna describes the line as balancing “strength with ease,” and it shows: boxy, broad-shouldered blazers flow into voluminous draped pants, tribal-print panels give way to whisper-light silks, and everywhere, hand-drawn silver motifs catch the light.
AK|OK Anamika Khanna's sketch for Lakmé Fashion Week 2025
One standout sketch (above) captures this perfectly: a V-plunging jacket whose lapels sparkle in an abstract silver mosaic, hinting at chainmail yet remaining fully modern. As Grazia observes, these looks are “not just clothes for the boardroom alone” – they’re built for the co-working studio or art gallery, wherever the modern multitasker reigns. In effect, Khanna has weaponized the colour – and metal – of intuition and intellect, redefining power dressing for today.
The silver elements of the collection were not merely ornamental—they were also symbolic. A silver collar, bold and light, framed the body like armor for the soul. This is silver’s strength: it protects without constraining, and beautifies without distracting.
Designers like Khanna are part of a larger movement using silver as a material of disruption and liberation. Across haute couture, silver has surfaced as a futuristic signature, from Alexander McQueen’s sculptural silver accents to Iris van Herpen’s ethereal metalwork. Meanwhile, in luxury retail, the lines between art and accessory have blurred and collectible silver jewelry has emerged as an asset class in itself. Limited-edition silver pieces by brands like Bvlgari, Maison Margiela, and Indian avant-garde studios now fetch high resale prices—not only for their intrinsic metal value, but for their cultural credibility too.
The new favourite in art and finance
Silver’s contemporary resurgence goes beyond fashion runways to the art world. Consider Yayoi Kusama’s famed Infinity Mirror Rooms, where visitors wander through a hall of suspended mirrored spheres. At one recent New York museum installation, Kusama literally immersed guests in a “seemingly infinite field of silver orbs,” each endlessly reflecting the others and the viewer herself. The result is hallucinatory: a dome of light and liquid shine that feels both futuristic and elemental. Or take last year’s TEFAF New York fair, where silver stole the show in unexpected ways. There, Japanese artist Junko Mori unveiled a 17-inch forged-silver sculpture, part of his Silver Poetry series, called Spring Fever Tanka Ring: a ring of 31 branch-like components so organic and reflective it was described as a “glistening representation” of spring’s first blooms. Elsewhere at the same fair, Italian artist Vincenzo De Cotiis exhibited a hybrid coffee table “comprised of Murano glass, marble and silver,” blurring lines between functional design and sculpture. These aren’t your grandmother’s heirlooms (though they could be in the future); they’re contemporary design pieces that prove silver’s alchemical prowess.
This dual identity – beautiful and valuable – extends to silver’s financial narrative as well. Unlike trend-driven costume metals, silver has an intrinsic worth that endures. In 2024, after years in gold’s shadow, silver finally caught market attention. Analysts note its price jumped roughly 21% over the year. Demand surged not just from collectors stacking physical bullion but from booming industries too: electronics, green energy and aerospace rely on silver’s unparalleled conductivity and reflectivity. As one investment report put it, silver’s “unique dual role” as an industrial commodity and store of value has driven new interest. It’s telling, too, that silver isn’t a newcomer to value. In fact, silver “holds a unique place in history as one of the oldest forms of currency” – it was literally money for millennia before the gold standard.
From a macroeconomic perspective, silver has proven to be a savvy, strategic investment. According to global metals analysts, silver has gained appeal in recent years as a hedge against inflation, much like gold, but with more accessibility and dynamic potential. From 2020–2022, silver prices fluctuated between $18 and $28 per ounce, offering attractive entry points for investors during times of economic uncertainty. As central banks tighten monetary policy and geopolitical volatility rises, silver’s intrinsic value as a tangible asset becomes ever more compelling. While gold may command higher price-per-ounce, savvy investors know silver’s smaller market makes it nimble – when demand spikes, silver can shoot upward even faster than its gilded cousin.
In short, silver is a multitasking marvel: a metal that can be both sleek and significant. For the woman with an eye on design and an ear to the economic trends, silver is literally a timeless investment. Its versatility is woven into its nature: softer than platinum, it can be hammered into heirloom-quality bangles as readily as it can be spun into the metallic threads of a couture gown. And unlike flashy fads, silver’s cool-tone gleam never really goes out of style – it merely waits for its moment in the spotlight, then rebounds with a quiet confidence.
Why we love silver
Ashtar’s jewellery is for women who understand the timeless value of this versatile metal. Our collections are both wearable and collectible, easy to style and guaranteed conversation starters.
We know that modern luxury buyers expect not just beauty but increasingly, are interested in the backstory of what they invest in too. Silver’s traceability—via digital provenance tools—is turning it into a luxury of integrity. This creates an opportunity for brands like us to tell deeper stories, to match a piece not just to an outfit, but to a woman’s legacy too.
We also love silver’s significantly lower environmental footprint compared to many other precious metals, particularly mined gold. Recycled silver—especially when artisanally sourced—allows us to seriously consider embracing circular luxury in the future. It is a metal that can be reformed and reborn, again and again, without losing its essence.
India’s centuries-old karigar tradition and the millions of women in the subcontinent who have worn and continue to wear silver as part of their everyday adornments speak to the enduring beauty and legacy of craftsmanship this precious metal possesses. At Ashtar, we want to not only honour that, but celebrate it unapologetically.
Lastly, we love that it is both affordable and aspirational! It provides younger luxury consumers—especially millennials and Gen Z—with an entry point into the world of fine jewelry and collectibles. These buyers aren’t interested in flash for flash’s sake. They crave story, sustainability, and longevity. Silver delivers all three.
Sources: Insights from Grazia on Anamika Khanna’s Silver Collar collection, fashion trend analyses in Porter and British Vogue, Marie Claire runway reports, art fair previews from VERANDA, and market commentary by Sprott. Quotes from ELLE and Vogue.
