Where to buy pearls in Australia?

[lemonade3]

Hello All -
I'm such a follower of all of you and LOVE looking at the "Show Us Your Pearls" thread. I've gotten tons of tips and learned a lot on this forum. I'm going on a girls trip in September with my Mom (she's in her early 70s) to Australia. We will be in Brisbane and in Sydney. I'd love to purchase some quality Australian pearls, but not sure where to go. Does anyone have any solid recommendations? I'm afraid most of what Paspaley has would be way out of my price range, but I may be surprised. Just wondered if anyone had any experience with pearl buying in Australia. Thanks for any info.

 

[Katbran]

Paspaley has their Flagship store in the heart of Sydney , walking distance from Circular Quay . They are very friendly in there I'm heading there myself in a week or so as I've been invited to their wholesale office which is in the basement of the main store. There are several 'antique' jewelry stores in the Queen Victoria shopping centre... well worth a stop as it's a beautiful old train station now full of shops and restaurants. But I've found their prices to be high for what they sell. Kalis is an Australian pearl company , owned by Paspaley , and they have beautiful designs and are a bit less in $$$ . Australian pearls are more expensive overall ... but that's because they are the best ... I can say that..I live here

 

[CathyKeshi]

lemonade3, I hope you have a wonderful trip to Australia. You might also like to browse our own Katbran's website; she makes pearl jewelry and sells lovely pearls, in Australia

 

[Cees]

Noticed Australian South Sea pearls are very expensive in Australia. Katbran knows that and I am sure she buys hers not in Australia

 

[Katbran]

Thank you Cathy !! Very kind of you - and I do owe you an email !

It's true that the actual Australian pearls farmed here in Australia are very expensive... I'm quoting on some now for a wedding and I shudder every time a photo shows up with a price. Ouch ! There are also Australian companies that grow their pearls elsewhere but sell from here but they are not Australian pearls they are Indonesian.

But I do buy some Australian for the customers that only want Australian. Value for money are from elsewhere ... Cees has some beautiful SS from various locations.

 

[pattye]

Agree ~ both Cees and Katbran have a great eye for lovely pearls!

 

[LucaHan]

It's true that the actual Australian pearls farmed here in Australia are very expensive... I'm quoting on some now for a wedding and I shudder every time a photo shows up with a price. Ouch ! There are also Australian companies that grow their pearls elsewhere but sell from here but they are not Australian pearls they are Indonesian.

Yes, it's true that pearls farmed in Australia are very expensive. However, the good news is that there are other companies that offer a more affordable alternative - Australian companies who grow their pearls elsewhere but sell them from here. These pearls may not be technically 'Australian', but they are still high quality Indonesian pearls.

 

[Katbran]

Certainly there are excellent pearls grown elsewhere . Australian pearls are expensive because the farming costs are astronomical.