The Great Monetary Disruption That’s Transforming Jewelry Forever
Jewelry designers,
What I'm about to share with you describes the most important macroeconomic shift happening in the entire world in every industry, including ours. And no, it's not AI.
AI is wonderful for jewelry businesses - we're not in risk of losing our jobs to robots. But there's something much bigger happening that NO ONE in the jewelry world is talking about.
This shift will fundamentally change how we price, position, and profit from our work. And if you're not prepared, you'll be left behind watching your margins evaporate while wondering what happened.
The designers who understand what's happening and adapt NOW will thrive.
First, let's get real about what's actually happening…
The Middle Class Has Already Collapsed
The middle class - your traditional customer base - is GONE.
I'm not being dramatic. The data is devastating:
65% of middle-class families say their incomes are falling behind the cost of living¹
Families are paying $3,500-11,000 MORE per year just for basics²
49% of Americans believe buying a home is now unrealistic³
When the Federal Reserve printed 40% more money from 2020-2022 (M2 money supply grew from $15.4 trillion to $21.7 trillion)⁴, they didn't just create inflation. They created the greatest wealth transfer in history.
This money printing allowed the wealthy to get wealthier through asset appreciation. The middle class got crushed by inflation.
Your customer who used to buy that $350 necklace for herself? She doesn't exist anymore. She's either been pushed down into survival mode or climbed up to the wealthy class. There's no middle.
Although I believe this corrects in the future, this is the reality now.
The Luxury Asset Collapse No One's Discussing
But here's where it gets really interesting, especially for jewelry designers...
Traditional luxury assets are now hemorrhaging value:
Natural diamond prices have plummeted 26% from their peaks⁵
“Rolex secondary market values crashed 22-50%”⁶
“Vintage cars down 10-14%”⁷
Luxury real estate correcting 7-20% across major markets⁸
Even De Beers is sitting on a $2 billion stockpile they can't sell⁹.
The money printing in 2020 inflated assets, but now those same assets are coming down in 2025.
Why is this happening? Because a major technological and monetary shift is siphoning the investment capital away from these traditional assets into a new one.
These luxury goods that the wealthy used to buy as investments? They're becoming just... things. Beautiful things with meaning, sure. But not investments or places to store wealth long term.
And here's the truth - this depreciation will continue as the biggest macroeconomic event in history continues.
Why Diamond Values Will Keep Falling (And What It Means For Your Business)
The diamond industry shows us exactly what's happening across all luxury assets.
Lab-grown diamonds now capture 50% of the US engagement ring market¹⁰. They trade at 97-98% discounts to natural diamonds¹¹. The fundamental scarcity argument that underpinned diamond values for a century?
Gone. Forever.
But it's not just about lab-grown. As mentioned above, capital is flowing away from ALL traditional luxury assets - diamonds, Rolexes, vintage cars - into a new monetary technology that actually protects and grows wealth.
At the very same time, the precious metals markets are suppressed.
With massive manipulation through derivatives, 28 paper claims for every physical ounce of silver¹², these markets could explode higher if physical delivery is demanded. (This could be triggered by, for example: loss of faith in the financial system, a major bank or exchange defaulting on delivery, geopolitical events that make people want physical assets, or as stated just the other day, a 39% tariff on gold bars into he US.)
Why precious metals? Because silver and gold are SOUND MONEY - they can't be printed, they require work to produce, and they've served as real money for 5,000 years.
When people lose faith in paper promises and demand physical metal, there simply isn't enough to go around. The paper market would collapse and only physical metal would have value, causing prices to skyrocket to their true levels.
The Technology Creating a New Golden Age
Now here's the ironic part...
The same monetary technology that’s disrupting assets will eventually create prosperity for all. It's designed to create deflation, making things MORE affordable over time, including jewelry.
Eventually, the middle and lower classes will benefit from lower costs of living. These markets will return. The middle class will rebuild.
This is wonderful and as it should be, but it’s the FUTURE.
Right now? You need to survive this current economy as well as the transition.
So, what does all of this mean for jewelry designers?
Two possible futures:
Scenario 1: If precious metals return to their true value (remember, silver has 28 paper claims for each physical ounce¹²), we could see $10,000 gold and triple-digit silver. Good for the designers holding precious metals, terrible for consumers. Only the wealthy could afford jewelry.
And holding valuable inventory means nothing if you're not positioned to sell to the wealthy. You'll go out of business sitting on inventory you can't move. You’ll need to refine it and receive the metal value for cash reserves and go with a zero inventory business model.
Scenario 2: The monetary premium continues flowing out of both precious metals and diamonds into the new finite asset. Jewelry becomes less expensive over time, bringing our profit margins down while making selling larger quantities a necessity. This is great for the lower end markets, but mass quantity as a designer does not sound appealing. It never has.
Although scenario 2 will happen regardless, I believe BOTH scenarios could happen. First the spike, then the continued depreciation. With the announcement of tariffs on gold bars recently, this looks even more possible.
Designers will lower prices in either scenario as they believe this is the only solution.
The ONLY Strategic Position That Survives Both Scenarios
Lucky for us, the jewelry industry is the greatest industry in the world. I’m not just biased. I work with entrepreneurs all over the world in different industries, and I can tell you that there’s no industry on Earth like ours.
Ours is a wealth building industry, one with various profitable revenue streams that already exist. You should never go out of business in this industry, no matter what is happening in the global economy.
This is why I’ve been implementing a zero inventory business model for years (I’ve seen the above coming for a long time), why I know which revenue streams will survive these scenarios and why I've completely repositioned one of my jewelry businesses.
Yes, I’m the #1 Wealth, Career & Lifestyle Alchemist to Jewelry Designers. But I also design exclusive fine jewelry wardrobes and collections for elite entrepreneurs on the world stage.
Why? Because exclusive, high-level experiences are the future for designers under the current landscape and as these scenarios play out:
If metals skyrocket → only the affluent can afford jewelry
If margins compress → you need large commissions to maintain profitability or adopt a mass quantity model
Yes, as a prepared designer you can recapture the middle class as scenario 2 plays out and you can make a nice income from making and selling mass quantities. But this is exhausting even with the right systems in place. You will need to work all the time. This is not a fulfilling lifestyle.
It’s a stepping stone to higher profit margins and lifestyle design, yes. I built my way up as a designer this way. However, there is another way of doing business and it requires positioning yourself at the top of the industry.
But here's what most designers will miss...
It's not just about raising prices and hoping people buy. It's about BECOMING something entirely different.
This is about elevating yourself as a person, building relationships and increasing wealth intelligence.
It’s about transforming from a jewelry designer into a private jeweler and curator of experiences. Someone who understands that the wealthy are seeking meaning, legacy, and connection - not just another ring. And in the new economy, that ring, it’s no longer an investment. It’s a reflection of who they are and the experience of working with you, the transformation you provide.
Plus, they will be looking for rarer and rarer materials as part of this experience. Because as they move their wealth into the new monetary system and away from traditional assets, their wealth will explode.
But so can yours.
Therefore, we must position ourselves as private providers of unique and rare experiences now and into the future. And we must take advantage of the new wealth vehicle ourselves.
The Immediate Action Plan
1. Stop investing in more inventory. Sell before you produce. Always. Sell the inventory you have now before bringing in new.
2. Position yourself as the leading choice in your niche. We can't lower our pricing in either an inflationary or a deflationary environment. Set yourself apart using my exclusive niche formula.
3. Create experiences, not just jewelry. The wealthy pay for transformation, not transactions.
4. Build our wealth knowledge. We need to understand sound money as well as we understand breathing.
5. Add this new wealth building technology to your business treasury. You too can grow your wealth, become your own bank, and weather any economic downturns, just as I have.
6. Join others who see what's coming. Find a community that understands these shifts.
(see how I can help below)
It is vitally important as a business owner to know and understand the economic landscape so we can make strategic decisions.
The designers who understand what's happening and adapt NOW will thrive. Those who keep doing business like it's 2019 unfortunately won’t survive the next 5 years.
I've spent 19 years in this industry, built 4 successful businesses as a Jewelry Entrepreneur, and learned from the world's top business mentors. As a 15 year student of global economics and sound money, I can say with certainty that this is the most important macro shift in history.
No one else is teaching this. No one else even sees it coming.
The question is: Will you be ready?
The future belongs to those who see it coming.
xx Meaghan
I’m always here to help. Here’s how:
For successful designers who are ready to play at the ultra-top of the industry, building empires, wealth and legacies. If that's you, email me directly at crestedbuttejewelry@gmail.com to speak with me about my upcoming 12 week 5 Star Jeweler Mastery™ container, including the specific monetary technology driving these changes and my new poolside Sedona retreat called Empress.
To learn metalsmithing and become a private fine jewelry designer, watch this masterclass on how to Become A 5 Star Jeweler™ or attend a 6 night retreat.
For those just starting out - Expand your skills and knowledge with Metalsmithing. It is a valuable trade and skillset that will always be needed. But start the RIGHT way with my inventory-free business model. Learn the craft AND the business strategy from day one. You can still build an incredible jewelry business - you just need to build it differently than designers have always been shown. Take a look at From Bench to Brand™ right here!
Citations:
¹ Primerica Financial Services Survey, 2024
² TIME Magazine, "How a Great Economy Left the Middle Class Behind," April 2022
³ GOBankingRates, "5 Things Middle-Class Americans Still Can't Afford in 2025," February 2025
⁴ Federal Reserve M2 Money Supply data, February 2020 - April 2022
⁵ Rapaport Diamond Index & IDEX Polished Price Index, 2023-2024
⁶ Bob's Watches Market Index & WatchCharts data, 2022-2024
⁷ Hagerty Market Index, 2024
⁸ Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index, 2023-2024
⁹ De Beers inventory reports, December 2024
¹⁰ Paul Zimnisky diamond market analysis, 2024
¹¹ Lab-grown diamond market pricing data, 2024
¹² COMEX registered silver inventory data, 2024
Who Is Meaghan Young?
I am a Jeweler, Instructor & Business Educator obsessed with actualizing human potential, luxe lifestyle design, time freedom and wealth building.
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