I actually started collecting precious metals while I was in Nigeria. My plan then was to grow my collection but with funds being tight due to our relocation, I had to take a long break.
My first piece of precious metal was a silver bracelet I got from a retailer. I got it as a fashion item, as I was looking to add jewelry to my style but it was also a collector's item.
I'm not wired to price things in dollars or pounds because they're still foreign currencies. I got in Naira and in Nigeria, precious metals are sold in weight.
Buying silver, gold or platinum basically involves selecting from a collection and then it gets weighed on a a tiny electronic scale. It's weighed and priced in the prevalent market price.
Since it's Nigeria, there's always going to be a bit of haggling. However, there's not much activity in the precious metal market, so traders tend to stay very close to the market price stated on trading platforms.
It's far from sophisticated but at the end of the day, you leave there with something that you'll carry for the rest of your life.
Missing Piece
My second piece of jewelry was a silver neck chain that I bought shortly after buying the bracelet.
It was a lovely mid-length piece of jewelry that complimented every single thing I wore. The buying process was identical to the bracelet, seeing as I got it from the same person.
Along with the bracelet, I hardly took it off. It was on my neck 24/7, well, at least until it wasn't and now I cannot find it.
I asked my wife if she has any idea where it might be but all I get is ridicule for losing it. In her defence, I might have made a lot of noise about how I'd wear it forever and she's a hater. In my defence, I tend to make a lot of noise whenever I buy something new, so she should be used to it.
Anyway, I think I might have lost the neck chain somewhere on this planet. When we moved out of our house in Kaduna back in June last year, we did quite a lot of traveling, so my hunch is that my wife misplaced it in any of those places. That's the story I'm sticking with.
I also got a bracelet, a necklace, and pendant that we're all made of silver for my wife. Yup, you guessed it, all of hers were safe because she's more "responsible" with her jewelry while mine is missing because I didn't listen to her advice to get a "jewelry box" to keep them safe.
Anyway, I think my infatuation with Silver is as a result of grey/ash/silver being my favourite colour. Now I know they're different colours but you have to admit that they're also quite similar.
So, these were technically my first foray into the land of precious metals. Now in another country, I'll have to adopt a new and very boring buying process that involves zero haggling. Just walk in, buy your item and piss off. Oh well.