I have been lurking around for some time. I have to let go some of the ''gem/diamond'' high before I explode. I have just recently visited the Singapore International Jewellery Show 2006. This is the first time I visited such a fair and thought perhaps I could picked up some jewellery pieces my mother would liked. I was really taken back when I was told that I have to register, show my identity card, fill up a form asking for my particulars (the registration counter called me back when they noticed that I did not fill in my birthdate --- hello, I am about my age!) and had my photo taken before I could even step into the exhibition hall. I was totally unprepared what to expect. I was sort of expecting jewelley shops to set up booths in the exhibition hall but I was totally unprepared to see the wholesalers there as well. I was greeted with sacks of diamonds (I am high.....) and gemstones where I could run my hand through (cheap thrill). I was surprised by the fact that most sellers actually asked for cash. I was told that for whoesalers, they deal with cash -- not credit card/cheques. There are apparently some experienced buyers around.... I gawked at a lady who who paid one of the wholesaler 2 pieces of emerald for US$60,000 in hard cash. I have certainly learnt fast how wholesellers/buyers --- they waved the calculator at each other on the proposed price rather than to speak the price aloud. Some of the experienced buyers also would ask for price for carat for a stone rather than to ask how much for the stone.....
It is such a thrill to touch all those loose gemstones
-- for the first time, I actually could understand the enthusiasm on the board of picking a right stone and getting it to reset into a ring/earrings/pendant. I was so tempted to get a heart shape 1.72 caret sapphire (such a beautiful shade of blue) and I am not sure what to do with such a weird shape sapphire. I am looking for a particular shade of blue but for the color I want, they are too huge (4 carats) and beyong my budget.
Anyway after some hard bargaining (at 65% off) for a few hours (yes, I walked off after the seller to settle for my offier and pretend to ''pass'' by the store 1 hour later) and bought 2 rings - a huge emerald cut topaz ring (around 12 carat) surrounded by butterflies and vines (decorated with tiny-winy diamonds on the wings) and diamonds paved by the side of the ring; and another amethyst ring (checker board around 6 carats) surround by different tiny gem stones with ''stems'' (supposed to represent flowers) surrounding the pond (amethyst) and a tiny frog (with small-tiny diamonds on the frog) at the side. Squeal!!!!!
I also sort of got a ''round'' solitarie diamond pendant -- 0.98 ctw --- they are actually 4 marquis cut diamonds and a square(?) diamonds in the middle tightly packed together that makes it looks like a single piece of round solitaire diamond. At the first glance, it looked like a whole huge diamond unless you examined it closely. I took a really long time to choose the pendant -- there is one supposed to be 1 point something ctw and cost around US$1000 more but the one I picked look bigger -- the one I picked are cut better and is VVS1 and F colour.
Unfortuantely, I have to get the rings resized -- so I got someone at the exhibition centre to recommend me someone who could resize -- they introduced me to a jeweller from Hong Kong. I made my way to the workshop and had a good chat with the person resizing my ring --- due to the complicated design of the ring, he had to take the ring apart before putting them back again. He told me that although the stones are semi-precious stones, they are of real good quality and that the workmanship is really exquisite --- and he would have charged a lot more if the customer want a customized rings like the ones I bought (hours of bargaining worked!). He also commented that the pendant I bought is really good at the price I paid -- in fact he did not believe it is only 0.98 ctw when he first saw the pendant -- and even weighed it at his weighing scales -- and he also said that he had to look for a few more times before he could tell the ''round'' diamonds are actually made up of a few pieces of diamond because the workmanship is really good --- considering that I spent a lot of time putting all the pendants at the side to choose, it better be good! At the end of the chat, the person who resized the ring showed the customized pieces he made for customers -- they are really beautiful. I would like to get in touch with him again after letting my wallet to recover from the damage --- I need to survive on bread and butter the next few months.
Sorry, no photos -- the moment I utter the words - ''Mum -- birthday present'' the rings and the pendant disappeared -- she bought them along with her while going to the neighbouring country visiting my aunt/uncle and would only be back next week.
It is such a thrill to touch all those loose gemstones
Anyway after some hard bargaining (at 65% off) for a few hours (yes, I walked off after the seller to settle for my offier and pretend to ''pass'' by the store 1 hour later) and bought 2 rings - a huge emerald cut topaz ring (around 12 carat) surrounded by butterflies and vines (decorated with tiny-winy diamonds on the wings) and diamonds paved by the side of the ring; and another amethyst ring (checker board around 6 carats) surround by different tiny gem stones with ''stems'' (supposed to represent flowers) surrounding the pond (amethyst) and a tiny frog (with small-tiny diamonds on the frog) at the side. Squeal!!!!!
I also sort of got a ''round'' solitarie diamond pendant -- 0.98 ctw --- they are actually 4 marquis cut diamonds and a square(?) diamonds in the middle tightly packed together that makes it looks like a single piece of round solitaire diamond. At the first glance, it looked like a whole huge diamond unless you examined it closely. I took a really long time to choose the pendant -- there is one supposed to be 1 point something ctw and cost around US$1000 more but the one I picked look bigger -- the one I picked are cut better and is VVS1 and F colour.
Unfortuantely, I have to get the rings resized -- so I got someone at the exhibition centre to recommend me someone who could resize -- they introduced me to a jeweller from Hong Kong. I made my way to the workshop and had a good chat with the person resizing my ring --- due to the complicated design of the ring, he had to take the ring apart before putting them back again. He told me that although the stones are semi-precious stones, they are of real good quality and that the workmanship is really exquisite --- and he would have charged a lot more if the customer want a customized rings like the ones I bought (hours of bargaining worked!). He also commented that the pendant I bought is really good at the price I paid -- in fact he did not believe it is only 0.98 ctw when he first saw the pendant -- and even weighed it at his weighing scales -- and he also said that he had to look for a few more times before he could tell the ''round'' diamonds are actually made up of a few pieces of diamond because the workmanship is really good --- considering that I spent a lot of time putting all the pendants at the side to choose, it better be good! At the end of the chat, the person who resized the ring showed the customized pieces he made for customers -- they are really beautiful. I would like to get in touch with him again after letting my wallet to recover from the damage --- I need to survive on bread and butter the next few months.
Sorry, no photos -- the moment I utter the words - ''Mum -- birthday present'' the rings and the pendant disappeared -- she bought them along with her while going to the neighbouring country visiting my aunt/uncle and would only be back next week.
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