Hong Kong for Pearls?

[Fabulous50]

Hi all! I have a question for the experts on this forum - is Hong Kong a good place to buy pearls? And if yes, is there a recommended vendor? Thank you all in advance!

 

[Pearlescence]

Yes, very good for pearls. But mostly the sellers are wholesale, for trade

 

[Fabulous50]

Yes, very good for pearls. But mostly the sellers are wholesale, for trade

Okay - thanks!!

 

[katbran]

Exactly what I was going to say... there are a thousand jewellers everywhere and I have no idea as to who is reliable. The companies that sell mainly Freshwater have their offices there but as Wendy said.. they are for trade only. Are you travelling there on a holiday ?

 

[fussykiki]

Hi all! I have a question for the experts on this forum - is Hong Kong a good place to buy pearls? And if yes, is there a recommended vendor? Thank you all in advance!

There are a lot of pearl vendors in Hong Kong. The one I went before is pretty good, they have pearls with PSL cert or from big suppliers like Paspaley. How can I give you the name?

See my post here https://www.pricescope.com/communit...tuds-even-the-little-ones.271189/post-5077754 I got the stud earrings and it was around US$650. The price on the tag has a huge markup.

 

[Fabulous50]

Exactly what I was going to say... there are a thousand jewellers everywhere and I have no idea as to who is reliable. The companies that sell mainly Freshwater have their offices there but as Wendy said.. they are for trade only. Are you travelling there on a holiday ?

I will be there for business.

 

[katbran]

Well, in the end it won't make any difference I guess if it's a holiday or business as the offices and fair are for the jewellery trade only.

But as I mentioned earlier - there are jewellery stores absolutely everywhere so you can do a lot of comparison shopping. Just be sure to know your prices - if the price seems like it's too good to be true....well.... it probably is.

 

[fussykiki]

Well, in the end it won't make any difference I guess if it's a holiday or business as the offices and fair are for the jewellery trade only.

But as I mentioned earlier - there are jewellery stores absolutely everywhere so you can do a lot of comparison shopping. Just be sure to know your prices - if the price seems like it's too good to be true....well.... it probably is.

That is not true now. I have been to jewelery fairs, just need to pre-register. I have also bought from vendors at their offices. Can try searching J Ocean Pearl / Rio Pearl at Facebook. Those are the two wholeseller that I have purchased before.

Hope that helps.

 

[katbran]

Singapore and some others have always been open to anyone but Hong Kong was always for trade.Perhaps there are changes now that Covid has had such a huge effect on the shows.

People often ask if it's worth it to go and I always say it is if you are spending a lot. Certainly never been worth it to fly over and spend money in a hotel , food , transportation to buy 3-4 Strands. But if you are there ... and they are letting people in ... you still need to know your prices or you could end up paying retial easily .

 

[Pearlescence]

You will need to supply a business card as part of your accreditation. They're quite tight on security..weren't there some big thefts a few years ago and much hubbub from the sellers?
Some wholesalers allow retail customers into their offices but most don't.

 

[Fabulous50]

That is not true now. I have been to jewelery fairs, just need to pre-register. I have also bought from vendors at their offices. Can try searching J Ocean Pearl / Rio Pearl at Facebook. Those are the two wholeseller that I have purchased before.

Hope that helps.

Thank you!!

 

[fussykiki]

You will need to supply a business card as part of your accreditation. They're quite tight on security..weren't there some big thefts a few years ago and much hubbub from the sellers?
Some wholesalers allow retail customers into their offices but most don't.

Trade show is open to public now. Things have changed in these few years due to covid. They are lack of business due to no overseas buyers coming because of the lock down.

 

[icy_jade]

The Nov show has always been open to the public

 

[LHethrington]

Hi all! I have a question for the experts on this forum - is Hong Kong a good place to buy pearls? And if yes, is there a recommended vendor? Thank you all in advance!

Seems to be where many of the respected/bigger pearl jewellery makers and buyers go for bespoke and general stock. Cees from Amsterdam & Pearlescence UK are both posting pictures of some gorgeous pearls from (i think) a trade show over there this last week.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I think Takahashi will be at the September jewelry show . I’m keeping an eye on tickets and flights

 

[NY_Resonant]

I think Takahashi will be at the September jewelry show . I’m keeping an eye on tickets and flights

Yy told me the March/June/September/December shows… They are preparing for the March Kobe show right now. So plenty of options!

 

[katbran]

I think Takahashi will be at the September jewelry show . I’m keeping an eye on tickets and flights

Wouldn't it be easier to just go to Tucson or NYC shows? By the time you factor in all the costs it's certainly not worth it unless you are buying huge amounts.

 

[Pearlescence]

Plus they are probably going to tighten security and access after a diamond theft during the feb/march show. (It's strictly trade.)

 

[dk168]

Rolay was at the November show which was opened to the public, and I believe I bought a couple of convertible brooch/pendant from them when I was in HK.

The strand of silver white South Sea pearls I bought in 2009 was from a stall in the Apple Market in Causeway Bay, however, it would not surprise me that the stall would be closed for the building to be knocked down and redeveloped.

The jewellery markets had vendors that sold pearls, however, not much good quality products available.

I went back in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015, all in November when the weather is cooler. No doubt much has changed in 8 years!

DK

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Wouldn't it be easier to just go to Tucson or NYC shows? By the time you factor in all the costs it's certainly not worth it unless you are buying huge amounts.

Oh haha well my parents live in Beijing so flying over to that area if something I do annually anyways.

 

[katbran]

Oh haha well my parents live in Beijing so flying over to that area if something I do annually anyways.

AHHH... Now that makes sense lol I always wonder when people say they want to attend a show like HK - what is the point of spending 5k on a trip to save 1k on pearls lol Sometimes I think that people believe the cost at wholesale is like 1/10 of what they see Retail. Excellent pearls are ALWAYS expensive at wholesale. There is no bargain. Retail mark up is all over the place the same pearls from the same suppliers will be priced all up and down the scale . Everyone has different costs or an image they want to sell.

 

[dk168]

@katbran I too only attended the HK shows when I was in HK visiting my mum and brother, and stayed at their pad while I was there.

I did not go to HK just for the shows, and had other things to do, like popping across the border to visit a tailor etc...

I last went in 2015. With all the troubles in HK since then, it is unlikely I would return.

I left HK for good in 1987 and did not return until 2009 as a tourist, and it had changed so much it was unrecognisable. I only went there again to meet up with my mum and bro as my bi-annual visits.

I would only return if I were to tour China (Beijing, Shanghai and Xian, the golden triangle) and stop over in HK if my mum and bro happen to be there.

DK

 

[icy_jade]

AHHH... Now that makes sense lol I always wonder when people say they want to attend a show like HK - what is the point of spending 5k on a trip to save 1k on pearls lol Sometimes I think that people believe the cost at wholesale is like 1/10 of what they see Retail. Excellent pearls are ALWAYS expensive at wholesale. There is no bargain. Retail mark up is all over the place the same pearls from the same suppliers will be priced all up and down the scale . Everyone has different costs or an image they want to sell.

But if you are spending $20k on pearls it may actually be cheaper overall to go to the shows to buy directly, even with the travel costs and all.

 

[NY_Resonant]

There are a number of components here at work in my mind.

1) Yes, you can buy a necklace at wholesale for 5k when it might cost 8k+ retail. That’s a 3k gross profit on 8k sales for retailer or 37.5% profit margin. Retailers ALSO have other costs to acquire the pearls if they go to the road show themselves, so that is already a razor thin margin for a business that might need to hold inventory for a year before selling it. So I think you might be underestimating the savings of going to a show significantly.

2) Even if you ARE willing to pay 8k+ retail for the same quality as a 5k wholesale strand — call that quality level Z — you will have multiples of choice within that Z quality range at the road show compared to the retailer.

3) All that choice gives you the much higher likelihood to pick something personally at the TOP of that Z quality range for you. It lets you choose the metrics that are most important to you — is it contrast? Is it gloss? Is it overtone colors? Body color?

4) The irreplaceable part is you get to put all those strands on your neck as you are making a choice. That is a hard to beat benefit.

 

[icy_jade]

There are a number of components here at work in my mind.

1) Yes, you can buy a necklace at wholesale for 5k when it might cost 8k+ retail. That’s a 3k gross profit on 8k sales for retailer or 37.5% profit margin. Retailers ALSO have other costs to acquire the pearls if they go to the road show themselves, so that is already a razor thin margin for a business that might need to hold inventory for a year before selling it. So I think you might be underestimating the savings of going to a show significantly.

2) Even if you ARE willing to pay 8k+ retail for the same quality as a 5k wholesale strand — call that quality level Z — you will have multiples of choice within that Z quality range at the road show compared to the retailer.

3) All that choice gives you the much higher likelihood to pick something personally at the TOP of that Z quality range for you. It lets you choose the metrics that are most important to you — is it contrast? Is it gloss? Is it overtone colors? Body color?

4) The irreplaceable part is you get to put all those strands on your neck as you are making a choice. That is a hard to beat benefit.

Yes plus it’s so fun to go to shows for people who love shopping and just plain looking.

Piles and piles of gems. Beautiful museum worthy pieces to gawk in the high end halls.

You had fun at Takahashi. Now imagine 50 booths like Takahashi. Or a hundred. Need another NW strand? Just go to another booth to ask. Maybe the other vendor will have a hank of them, if not then go to another booth to ask, etc etc.

 

[NY_Resonant]

Yes plus it’s so fun to go to shows for people who love shopping and just plain looking.

Piles and piles of gems. Beautiful museum worthy pieces to gawk in the high end halls.

You had fun at Takahashi. Now imagine 50 booths like Takahashi. Or a hundred. Need another NW strand? Just go to another booth to ask. Maybe the other vendor will have a hank of them, if not then go to another booth to ask, etc etc.

I imagine these shows have all kinds of booths, from processors/wholesellers like Takahashi to some retail booths to some booths from farms that chose to do the processing themselves on some pieces versus selling everything on harvest auctions.

I also imagine the HK shows are huge if it has hundreds of booths. The Kobe March show, I missed it by one WEEK (sigh), was smaller. I looked at the seating chart and takahashi had the largest booth. There were maybe 3-4 other booths of a similar size and then what looked like 20-30 small booths.

I loved Takahashi, they have beautiful pearls for a very good price… but i’m also very glad I stopped by Yokota pearls (They also buy pearls at harvest auctions but small outfit so pricing also attractive), kinashita pearls, and various other japanese retailers. I think its important to SEE the breadth of options and difference in quality as you make the purchase — it was certainly helpful to me.

I’d have so much fun at a pearl show, going from booth to booth. I’d go home broke but happy. I’d feel anxiety if I found a strand I loved though since i’d want to check the other booths before buying — and then it would be gone when I returned

 

[Pearlescence]

The Hong Kong shows are trade only. Wholesalers with offices in HK don't really want to see retail customers as they take up time and attention for one strand or one pair of pearls, when they want to be dealing with people who buy a sackful in five minutes (not me but I did see one Indian buyer last month take ten minutes to buy four huge bags of fireballs, each with at least 200 strands in) (one had five less because I had just picked them out)

 

[NY_Resonant]

The Hong Kong shows are trade only. Wholesalers with offices in HK don't really want to see retail customers as they take up time and attention for one strand or one pair of pearls, when they want to be dealing with people who buy a sackful in five minutes (not me but I did see one Indian buyer last month take ten minutes to buy four huge bags of fireballs, each with at least 200 strands in) (one had five less because I had just picked them out)

I respect their desire to be "trade only" but how on earth do they enforce that with visitors coming in from all over the world? If someone says they're trade when registering, how can they possibly verify it?

People these days sell on etsy, on ebay, online only or maybe they own a little mom-and-pop retail store in Ohio. Maybe this is their first trade show for a business they are launching. It seems to me that the only way to bar entry for trade only is to charge such a high entry fee that it would not be economical for someone only buying 1-2 strands.

 

[katbran]

But if you are spending $20k on pearls it may actually be cheaper overall to go to the shows to buy directly, even with the travel costs and all.

Absolutely Icy_jade - Somewhere I mentioned that it's not worth it for buying a strand of decent/good quality pearls . But if you are spending big money then it can be worth the trip as long as you're a bit flexible on what you want. No matter what you're looking for , if you have extremely specific demands then you might not find it even if you have 500 strands to look at. If you want a high quality 10-12mm strand of peaecock or multicolour ... fine ... pistachio ..good luck. Or South Sea ... a high end strand at 30k wholesale you will do well... as it's probably going to be 60k retail.

The more expensive the item the more it's worth the trip. And of course the fun factor....

 

[katbran]

I respect their desire to be "trade only" but how on earth do they enforce that with visitors coming in from all over the world? If someone says they're trade when registering, how can they possibly verify it?

People these days sell on etsy, on ebay, online only or maybe they own a little mom-and-pop retail store in Ohio. Maybe this is their first trade show for a business they are launching. It seems to me that the only way to bar entry for trade only is to charge such a high entry fee that it would not be economical for someone only buying 1-2 strands.

Registration for trade requires sending in some documentation .Unless that's changed. You really don't get many people there who aren't in business. The vast majority are mainland Chinese who probably run a little shop or online store somewhere.

The offices are not really happy to see drop in customers as they get in the way. It's extremely inconsiderate to just stop in.
If you are a regular customer then you make an appointment. They aren't set up to have more than a couple of customers at a time. The tables are all full of workers and someone has to be moved to make room for you. Big customers get a little office to sit in and they bring the pearls to you ... no one gets to just wander around.

This is why the show itself is the best option. Everything there is set up and you can browse the displays .

Someone often has to sit with you and watch you with loose pearls to make sure you don't steal anything lol We have regular sales people that we deal with - they have no time for someone looking at 50 strands to buy one. .. they want the guy who walks in and buys 300 strands . I had the misfortune of following a German buyer... every office he was just ahead of me and taking all the high end strands lol