Over the years, I've learned that my colleagues have more things in common than I thought. For amusement, my coworkers and I wondered how much it'd cost to forge a custom sword in precious metal. In this case, the more realistic option is silver. Of course, it'd be foolhardy to search for specific cases where the swordsmith used silver. Instead, we opted for a completely false equivalent search.
We are going to assume that a sword requires 2.25kg (~79.4oz) of silver. Depending on where and how much you are willing to pay, here's the estimated spread:
So yeah, $2500 seems like a good estimate for the raw materials.
Why a silver sword? For vanity reasons. No werewolves and zombie apocalypse, I swear!
If you are like me, you might be familiar with this item:
Behold, the Silverlight (not the Microsoft one) that slays demons and fiends alike. For a better perspective, here are the proportions:
Silverlight is a quest item from Runescape. The idea of having a silver sword in its image satisfies both vanity and nostalgia. Well, the image you see is the newer rendition of the said item. Back when I actually played the game, it looked more like this:
It was very different and looked very underwhelming. But, the stat boost against demonic creatures was substantial.
With the raw material covered, the next thing is labor. Unfortunately, most silversmith only deals with jewelry. Did you know most of them only make like $40-50K a year? If we pretend swordsmiths could work with any metal (at the same rate), that would be fantastic.
If the hypothesis is anywhere close to the actual cost, then we would be adding another $1500 to $2000. In the end, a silver (long) sword would cost $4000+ without any other complications in the way. By complications, I meant taxes and other regulatory fees. They can also be the cost associated with detailing your custom sword.
Now what? You get to mount it on your wall. You are now protected from demons, werewolves, and vampires alike. Add some silver bullets to the mix and you will be ready for a high fantasy apocalypse. Or, a fancy family heirloom. Who knows?
But wait, that's not all. There is a complement to the Silverlight called Darklight. You could forge that also. Then, you could pull something like Dante from Devil May Cry, except you have swords instead of guns.
If anyone of you have insights on the other costs associated with forging this particular item, please comment below.
For ten grand, I would do it...in a distant future.