Recently, there has been a noticeable decline in the international gold and silver prices. With the “May Day” holidays approaching, the cooling down of prices has prompted some demand to return, with both the essential needs for weddings and investment purchases simultaneously warming up in the Chinese market. It is worth noting that under the pressure of high gold prices, the lower threshold silver is rapidly gaining popularity, becoming an “alternative option” in asset allocation for some young people.
On May 4th, international precious metal prices dropped again. Data from the New York Commodity Exchange showed that the price of June gold futures fell below $4,600 per ounce, a decrease of over 2.5%; while the price of July silver futures fell to around $73 per ounce, a drop of over 4%.
The market generally believes that the short-term price correction has provided some investors with a “buying opportunity at a low point.”
According to a report on May 5th by “Time Weekly,” compared to the high-priced gold, silver is attracting more and more consumer attention due to its lower unit price and smaller entry threshold. Especially against the backdrop of gold prices often exceeding thousands of yuan per gram, silver bars costing only tens of yuan per gram are more manageable for young investors with limited funds.
From the market performance perspective, there is a clear differentiation between the investment attributes and consumer attributes of silver products. According to statistics from “Consumer Reports,” on April 28th, the Shanghai silver price was about 18.613 yuan/gram. Based on this, the premium range of 12 popular investment silver bars on the market is about 5% to 120%, with most products controlling premiums within 30%; while the same quantity of solid silver bracelets generally has premiums ranging from 45% to 170%.
On a certain e-commerce platform, the price of an investment silver bar is about 20.3 yuan/gram, with a premium of about 9.2%; whereas a solid silver bracelet on the same platform is priced at 27.6 yuan/gram, with a premium of nearly 50%. In the same store, a 100-gram investment silver bar is priced at about 2,280 yuan (22.8 yuan/gram), while a 30-gram silver bracelet is priced at about 1,018 yuan (33.9 yuan/gram), further highlighting the differences in their attributes.
Regarding the question of premium for silver jewelry, a customer service representative at a silver jewelry store said: “The price is determined based on factors such as raw materials, craftsmanship, design, brand value, and after-sales service, so the listed price already includes the cost of labor.”
The rising popularity of silver investment is also reflected on social media. Searching for “silver” on a certain social platform reveals many young people sharing posts about investing in silver bars, such as “Because gold prices are too high, I bought some silver instead” and “Bought silver at the bottom” and “What I bought at a high price looks like a pile of shiny stones now.”
Previously reported by CCTV, in 2025, the sales volume of investment silver bars, silver ingots, and other products increased by over 40% compared to the previous year.
However, behind the market enthusiasm also lie risks. Many consumers choose to purchase investment silver bars through offline channels, such as the Shenzhen Shuibei Gold and Jewelry Market.
Data shows that on April 28th, the local price of silver bars was approximately 22.6 yuan/gram, while the buyback price was only about 15.5 yuan/gram, indicating a significant price difference. Despite the increase in silver prices compared to the beginning of 2026, the cost of liquidity remains significant and should not be underestimated.