Since the beginning of 2020, 35.8 million pieces of jewelry made of precious metals, with a total weight of 83.2 metric tons, have received the state hallmark in Ukraine, according to OpenDataBot, citing the Ministry of Finance.
The average weight of a single item that passed state inspection was about 2.3 grams. Silver jewelry accounted for the majority—20.8 million pieces. Another 15 million items were made of gold.
The number of platinum jewelry items during this period totaled just 7,200 pieces. Only one palladium item was recorded—it passed assay inspection in 2025.
Prior to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 6.2 million pieces of jewelry were hallmarked annually. After a decline in 2022, the figure rebounded to 6.4 million in 2023 and to a record 7.3 million in 2024. In 2025, the number of hallmarked jewelry pieces fell to 5.4 million.
About 99% of gold jewelry that undergoes state hallmarking in Ukraine is manufactured by Ukrainian companies. Imported products account for only about 1% of this segment.
At the same time, the silver jewelry market is significantly more dependent on foreign suppliers. Nearly one in three silver items that undergo assay testing in Ukraine is manufactured abroad.
Overall, in the first quarter of 2026, 14% of all jewelry that received a state hallmark was imported. The average for 2020–2026 is 16%.
Virtually all imported jewelry must undergo state hallmarking before being sold in Ukraine. The hallmark confirms that the actual precious metal content matches the fineness declared by the manufacturer.
Silver prices on Monday are showing a sharp decline amid a strengthening U.S. dollar and a general deterioration in sentiment in the precious metals market. As of 9:25 a.m., silver futures on Comex fell 10.5% to $62.345 per ounce.
The rise in the DXY dollar index is weighing on prices, as are expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve may maintain a tight monetary policy for longer than the market had previously anticipated. An additional factor is demand for the dollar as a safe-haven asset amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Like other precious metals, silver becomes less attractive to investors when the dollar is strong, especially as yields on dollar-denominated instruments rise.
Silver is important not only as an investment and monetary metal but also as an industrial raw material. It is widely used in solar energy, electronics, electrical engineering, medicine, and battery production, so its market depends on both financial and industrial factors.
Reference: The Experts Club analytical center previously released a video analysis of the twenty largest silver-producing countries and their competition for leadership from 1971 to 2024 – https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HvKK-YET8vs
The spot price of silver exceeded $100 per ounce for the first time in history on Friday amid rising demand for safe-haven assets.
At 7:10 p.m. CST, it rose 4.6% to approximately $100.67 per ounce, reaching $100.91 per ounce during the session.
The spot price of gold also set a new record and is approaching $5,000 per ounce. At 19:11 CEST, it rose 1% to $4,984.33 per ounce, slightly down from its intraday and historic high of $4,988.33 per ounce.
Since the beginning of the year, silver has risen in price by 39.4% and gold by 14.3%.
Gold and silver prices hit new highs on Monday amid increased demand for safe-haven assets due to the situation surrounding Greenland.
Traders fear that increased pressure from US President Donald Trump, who is laying claim to Greenland, will provoke a large-scale trade war between the US and Europe.
On Saturday, Trump announced that he would impose 10% tariffs on a number of European countries that support Denmark and Greenland starting in February. From June 1, 2026, the tariffs for these countries will be 25% and will remain in effect “until an agreement is reached on the full purchase of Greenland by Washington,” Trump said.
European countries are ready for a coordinated response to the introduction of US tariffs, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. According to the Financial Times, EU countries are considering imposing tariffs on US goods worth €93 billion or a series of restrictions on American companies.
The trade tensions surrounding Greenland are different from last year’s situation with the US imposing large-scale tariffs, notes Charu Chanan, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets in Singapore.
“The use of tariff threats within NATO is a kind of blow to confidence that could provoke a more persistent risk premium on asset values,” she says.
The spot price of gold rose 1.6% to $4,670.47 per ounce by 9:30 a.m. on Monday, while silver rose 3.4% to $93.1755 per ounce. During the session, the price of gold rose to a record $4,690.59 per ounce, and silver to $94.1213 per ounce.
“Geopolitical risks are intensifying,” said Kyle Rodda, an analyst at Capital.com Inc. in Melbourne. “New trade uncertainty is clouding the growth outlook, and US foreign policy is undermining confidence in the dollar. This is the perfect set of conditions for gold and silver prices to rise.”
US stock index futures are down 0.8-1.3% on Monday. Trading activity on the futures market is weak as US exchanges are closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Reference: The Experts Club analytical center previously released a video analysis of the twenty largest silver-producing countries and their competition for leadership in 1971-2024 – https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HvKK-YET8vs
The Experts Club also previously presented an analysis of the world’s leading gold-producing countries — https://youtube.com/shorts/DWbzJ1e2tJc?si=BywddHO-JFWFqUFA
Silver prices hit historic highs amid growing demand for safe-haven assets and expectations of monetary policy easing in the US. According to Reuters, the spot price of silver rose to a record $86.22 per troy ounce on January 12.
At the same time, silver futures on the US market rose above $89 per ounce during trading on January 13, Investopedia reported. A number of industry publications noted that at certain points during the session, silver rose by about 5%, reflecting the metal’s increased volatility. Analysts surveyed by Reuters do not rule out a further movement of prices towards $90 per ounce if the current combination of factors supporting precious metals remains in place.
Reference: The Experts Club analytical center previously released a video analysis of the twenty largest silver-producing countries and their competition for leadership in 1971-2024 – https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HvKK-YET8vs
