| You would not do better from a retail store, but you can do better if you do your research. I am not certain it would be easy to find a good deal locally in Canada or Europe - you would have better luck in the US or in Hong Kong, if you ever travel there.
I am not saying that the quality of the Tahitian pearls are going to be poor (although the are often color treated after entering China) in Bejing. The saltwater variety you want to stay away from there is Akoya.
Tahitian pearls are taxed leaving French Polynesia, but not upon entering the US. In fact cultured pearls are never taxed upon entry unless they are in finished form. This is not the case in China. There are heavy taxes on imported pearls. This would include Tahitian earrings. You could very likely get a good deal from Ling Ling on the earrings, though. I would hesitate going for a whole strand in China, though.
If you visit (more or less) any pearl market in China, the only real deals to be had are on the freshwater. There is no "akoya pearl market", or South Sea/Tahitian market, although the traders do tend to keep a selection. |