I found some very nice pearls at an unexpected source, and I was wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences.
Here in downtown Windsor we have one of those Chinese import places that you see in most cities. Run by recent Chinese immigrants, the store features things like hand painted Chinese vases, little jade Buddha statues, paper fans, Hello Kitty keychains, traditional patterned silk dresses, and anything else that can be imported directly from China, all piled up together regardless of price or quality. The only common theme is that it is all made in China and all at bargain prices.
The surprising thing with this store was that they had quite a lot of pearls. In fact, for the first time I saw hanks of pearls (thanks to this forum I knew what they were). They had them in various sizes and shapes, in white and black, from 10mm that I judged to be AA (not that I have the knowledge to accurately judge anything, but thanks to this forum I now have quite a lot of pearls to use as a guide) down to tiny rice pearls. They also had loose clasps, and a fair amount of pearls already strung.
They were almost all freshwater, although there were also some "Japanese cultured" pearls which I have learned on this forum were likely to also have been of Chinese origin.
They had a few loose akoyas that were damaged during drilling, and you could see where the thin nacre had broken away to reveal the bead inside. That was interesting to see.
They also had beads, imitation pearls, and other jewelry. This was quite helpful as a guide, because I could easily see the difference between the different qualities of beads and imitation pearls compared to the real thing.
I did buy a pair of AA 10mm white button earrings for CAN$20. I compared them to other AA earrings we have at home and they compare well.
Has anyone else bought from such places before? Is this something common that I have just been overlooking because I didn't know anything about pearls?
Should I bargain at this store? Bargaining in such stores in Canada is usually not done, but on the other hand they are Chinese and perhaps would expect it. Although, as a Canadian I am unused to street bargaining so I would be fairly innocent at it. Many of the prices were already marked.
The only strand I asked for a price on was her best, a 10mm AA for CAN$288. I think she said it was 16" - is that standard length for hanks? That seemed like a good price to me.
They also had a variety of clasps and silk thread. Is this a common way of buying pearls that I just didn't know about?
Anyone have similar experiences?
Here in downtown Windsor we have one of those Chinese import places that you see in most cities. Run by recent Chinese immigrants, the store features things like hand painted Chinese vases, little jade Buddha statues, paper fans, Hello Kitty keychains, traditional patterned silk dresses, and anything else that can be imported directly from China, all piled up together regardless of price or quality. The only common theme is that it is all made in China and all at bargain prices.
The surprising thing with this store was that they had quite a lot of pearls. In fact, for the first time I saw hanks of pearls (thanks to this forum I knew what they were). They had them in various sizes and shapes, in white and black, from 10mm that I judged to be AA (not that I have the knowledge to accurately judge anything, but thanks to this forum I now have quite a lot of pearls to use as a guide) down to tiny rice pearls. They also had loose clasps, and a fair amount of pearls already strung.
They were almost all freshwater, although there were also some "Japanese cultured" pearls which I have learned on this forum were likely to also have been of Chinese origin.
They had a few loose akoyas that were damaged during drilling, and you could see where the thin nacre had broken away to reveal the bead inside. That was interesting to see.
They also had beads, imitation pearls, and other jewelry. This was quite helpful as a guide, because I could easily see the difference between the different qualities of beads and imitation pearls compared to the real thing.
I did buy a pair of AA 10mm white button earrings for CAN$20. I compared them to other AA earrings we have at home and they compare well.
Has anyone else bought from such places before? Is this something common that I have just been overlooking because I didn't know anything about pearls?
Should I bargain at this store? Bargaining in such stores in Canada is usually not done, but on the other hand they are Chinese and perhaps would expect it. Although, as a Canadian I am unused to street bargaining so I would be fairly innocent at it. Many of the prices were already marked.
The only strand I asked for a price on was her best, a 10mm AA for CAN$288. I think she said it was 16" - is that standard length for hanks? That seemed like a good price to me.
They also had a variety of clasps and silk thread. Is this a common way of buying pearls that I just didn't know about?
Anyone have similar experiences?
