It’s been there for a while; it’s almost like I’ve been seeing it out of the corner of my eye for the past several months. Walking past a woman with great style on the streets of Manhattan or boarding a plane alongside a traveler far chicer than I could ever dream to be, I’ve been somewhat taken aback when I see bold, solitary pieces made of sterling silver instead of the gold layers and stacks that I’ve come to expect over at least the last decade. And then on the show floor during the 2026 Original Miami Beach Antique Show (OMBAS), I was almost shocked when a fabulous cargo hook choker of a remarkable scale, polished to a mirror-like shine, practically jumped out of the case at Ann Marie Stanton’s booth and took my breath away.
Image courtesy of Ann Marie Stanton
A long time wearer of yellow gold, it’s been years since I’ve felt a genuine pull towards pieces made in sterling silver. And then suddenly, it seemed, I started warming back up to the cool metal. Maybe it’s an increase in exposure. Several gold-centric contemporary designers have recently launched fabulous sterling silver collections that have stopped me in my tracks. And extremely fetching sterling silver offerings have more frequently popped up on the Instagram feeds of a lot of antique, vintage and estate dealers who have built a solid reputation for offering coveted gold designs. Whatever it is, my newfound passion for sterling silver feels both unexpected and familiar.
I think Elizabeth “Beth Anne” Bonanno from The Gems Project perfectly positioned the nostalgic sensation of becoming reacquainted with sterling silver in a Substack post she wrote back in April of this year. She lamented her abandonment of silver like she’d jilted a lover, admonishing herself for her foolishness in letting go of some of her most prized possessions because of a regrettable and misguided sense of snobbishness. In reflecting on the women who had inspired that early, first love, like Cher, Ali McGraw and Elsa Peretti, Beth Anne waxed poetic about the pieces she’d loved and lost and gave a detailed description of the dream sterling silver collection she is determined to rebuild.
Charles LaLoma cuffs seen at Douglas M. Liebman’s booth at OMBAS
The mainstream resurgence in the allure of sterling silver was just recognized by Elle magazine, which published an article last week that proclaimed vintage silver the new vintage gold. Entitled “Why Everyone’s Obsessed with Vintage Sterling Silver,” contributing editor Kristen Bateman cited a Google Trends stat that shows online searches for vintage sterling silver are up 500 percent this year vs last. Highlighting the extraordinary style of long-time silver advocate, collector Cecilia Alejandra, aka awkwardfitchecks, the writer also spoke with vintage sellers who claim silver pieces “fly out of their hands faster than they’ve ever seen.”
Whether serving as a “gateway” for the costume jewelry gal who wants to get into wearing precious metals, a response to the ever-volatile price of gold, or simply an aesthetic reawakening, sterling silver’s return to glory is a welcome one. And we are thrilled to get a front row seat to shopping vintage sterling pieces at our upcoming U.S. Antique Show events; Coconut Grove Jewelry & Watch Show in November, and the Original Miami Beach Antique Show in March.
Mixed metal piece seen at the Geller & Company booth at OMBAS
While we never know what pieces we’ll discover at these events, experience has shown us that these world-class dealers are always ahead of market trends. So, whether it’s anything by Elsa Peretti, a classic Squash Blossom necklace, an important, highly collectable piece by Charles LaLoma, or even a multi-metal piece we can use to create a bridge to our beloved gold pieces, we are confident that our dealers can be relied upon to anticipate our desires, even when they may still just be a seed in our hearts, ready to be (re)born.
