[jshepherd]

Welcome to the forum Sigurd!

I definitely will have to go with Zeide on this one. A $3500 investment will not get you far with Philippine pearls. Even a $35000 investment would not go far. You are definitely on a Beijing budget.
To give you an idea, you can spend $3500 on one, single pearl in the Philippines.

Edit:
I think it is important to note that there are a lot of Chinese freshwater in the Philippines as well. Zeide and I are both referring to the likes of Jewelmer's wares - most notably the golden South Sea pearls.