Pearl market in Hong Kong?

[Sheila]

Does Hong Kong have a pearl market?
Something like the open atrium market of Zhuji or the Hongqiao in Beijing.
I want to buy beading quality pearls by the kilo/hank.

If anyone has some info for me, I will go there and report back here.

Sheila

[Mka4972]

I think you are best off in Zhuji

[Nerida]

Hi Sheila,


No, there is nothing like the Chinese markets in Hong Kong. If you want lesser quality/quantity, a trip to the Jade Market might be a good idea. And some of the vendors there have larger B&M stores close by. There are probably 2 vendors there who sell OK pearls, and one in particular who may be able to help you.
There are several large Chinese based pearl merchants who have offices in Hong Kong - it might be worth your while to ring them to see what they have.


Zhuji is too far away/unapproachable unless you are pretty serious, and I wouldn't bother for beading quality pearls.
Shanghai's Nanjing Road group of vendors is good, as in the Hongqiao market - I use them both. PM me if you want some contact names in any of these places.

[Raisondetre]

Zhuji takes too much effort to get to. You'll need to take a flight to Shanghai and then take the train or cab, which I don't think is very safe given the current economic conditions unless you know China really well. Big cities are a better bet. When I was in Yiwu (next to Zhuji) there were traffic police threatening to detain us because we didn't have a visa, even when the country issuing my passport has been exempted from any requirement. It was only because we knew the language and had a prolonged discussion eventually prompting them to call the airport (which they didn't but they figured they had played us enough) that we were let go. They did not have the authority to detain us, but they could have delayed us from our flight. Not pleasant. There are also more cases of theft and robbery now that the economic crisis has hit and many from the rural areas are unemployed and forced to return home (where conditions are usually worse) or wander in the cities. Zhuji would not be cost effective for small purchases either. If you had to pick a Chinese city I'd say Shanghai, not Zhuji.

Many jewellery shops in Tsim Sha Tsui along Granville Road or the area claim to wholesale pearls but are usually small middlemen trying to earn a quick buck. I'm not sure there are any wholesale pearl markets in HK since almost everything has been outsourced to China. The best thing I can suggest is the International Jewellery Show from March 4-8 where you will get the pick of every type of pearl possible. You can preregister here:

http://hkjewellery.hktdc.com/index.htm

[Sheila]

I've been to Zhuji, but this time I only have 3 days in HongKong.
I have also been in HongKong before and somebody told there was a market-like place for pearls in HongKong. To me it sounded more like a permanent jewellery fair than a real market.

I hope somebody recognises the place I'm talking about.

Thanks for all your help so far!

Sheila