Buy Pearls while in Hong Kong or Malaysia?

[acook]

My husband will be in Hong Kong and Malaysia very soon and I was wondering if he should purchase pearls for me while he is there. And if so, do any of you know what would be a good price for a necklace and what kind he should look for? I am a small framed person, so I would prefer a necklace with smaller pearls; one with pearls that are not overwhelming.

Thanks in advance for your help!

ACook

 

[Kenji]

Hong Kong is a very large hub in Asia for the pearl trade. There are pearl shops everywhere. But Hong Kong is still going to be priced retail if you do not know where to look.
What I would suggest is to simply get a few business cards to take with you to Hong Kong and present yourself as a buyer (wholesale) not a retail customer. They will be less apt to take advantage of you.

If you are in the Tsim Sha Tsui area of Hong Kong there are pearl companies everywhere. Do not go into any of the shops with a store front on the street. These are retail no matter what the signs say. Stick to Kimberly Road or Chatham road and just look at the marquis on the buildings' company directories. These places will ask you for a business card before they let you in, but when you get in you will be confronted with literally millions of pearls of every size, shape, and type you can imagine. Talk your way into buying a sample of something and you should be able to get a nice strand at a very low price.

This is what I suggest for buying in Hong Kong. It is a great place to buy pearls, but you do need to know what you want and what you are looking for before you go in. A good pearl education would do you wonders as well. This Site has a lot of great information, and I would also recommend www.net-pearls.com for good reading as well.

Good luck!