Most of the world's silver is a byproduct of mining other metals. The price of silver could fall to lows never seen before and more than enough will still be produced to meet demand.
All mining has byproducts since no miner throws the other valuable elements in the ore back in the pit.
It's always the same story repeating, at what turns out to have been the highest price peak, the talk is about further rising to highs never seen before, and at what turns out to have been the lowest price bottom, the talk is about lows never seen before.
And I've seen a number of those folks swapping forth and back between both claims.
Gullintanni referred to "pumpers", but a more complete (

) wording is "pump & dumpers".
The club that sells high > buys back in low upon every 3-4 months cycle.
And as said, all that production (mining & recycling) shows no correlation with the silver price trend.
$4 to $35 = 9 folding.
Mine Production, year and Moz
1990 521.8
1991 510.9
1992 485.3
1993 469.5
1994 451.0
1995 479.0
1996 492.9
1997 520.4
1998 542.7
1999 557.5
2000 591.5
2001 606.8
2002 594.5
2003 597.2
2004 613.6
2005 639.9
2006 643.4
2007 667.7
2008 684.7
2009 717.3
2010 753.0
2011 758.3
2012 791.7
2013 867.8
2014 895.1
2015 895.1
2016 888.6
2017 852.1
Even with a magnifying glass, the "best" correlation one can discover, is INVERSE: price rises while mine production rises.
Apparently, production failed to meet demand. That's why the price at a moment (2011) 9-folded.
Even the futures markets trading (that became the biggest price driver in recent years) was peanut in 2011, in the months before the rise to $50 peak, their total net position dropped big.
What DID the silver price drive then?
Well haha, speculators, silver stackers.
And they will drive it in the future too.
So all this talk about mine production, Please Gimme A Break !
