Katbran
Well-known member
Anyone going ?
Hong Kong ? 2019
- Thread starter Katbran
- Start date
LondonPearl
Well-known member
Yes! ..... and exhibiting in the pearl hall (1P22). I have made lots of interesting items for the show especially in rare fancy natural colours. Would like to meet anyone who is around.
jshepherd
Pearl Paradise
Yes, we leave tomorrow!
BWeaves
Well-known member
Photos!!! Or it didn't happen. OK, just take us along visually, please.
Katbran
Well-known member
BWeaves - Will do !! I'll also post on IG if you don't already follow me my posts might be more real time. This time I am really going to stick to my list ... wherever it is ...
Jeremy and Hisano - have a safe trip ! I'm sure I'll see you racing around the Hall !!
LondonPearl - I'll definitely stop by !
I want to look at a few Akoya - never really bought many before so I'm not familiar with the sellers. If there is a particularly good booth let me know... it's always scary doing 'pot luck ' lol
Heading to the airport shortly.
Jeremy and Hisano - have a safe trip ! I'm sure I'll see you racing around the Hall !!
LondonPearl - I'll definitely stop by !
I want to look at a few Akoya - never really bought many before so I'm not familiar with the sellers. If there is a particularly good booth let me know... it's always scary doing 'pot luck ' lol
Heading to the airport shortly.
86Corvettegirl
Well-known member
Safe travels to all that are going. Wish I could go but I'm not affiliated with the pearl industry except as a consumer. Hope everyone has a successful trip!! And pics....for those who can't go....we want pics!!
Katbran
Well-known member
Hello from Hong Kong...Kowloon actually . Cool and damp here , grey skies and hazy . But the streets are bustling as ever? Got in Friday night and it’s been non stop pearl pick Mg ever since. I apologise as I’ve posted on Instagram since loading the photos is a bit easier , but I’ll try to do some here as well .
First of all I’ll show you a pearl office ! Many are here in Kowloon in high rise buildings . A few of my favourite stops have moved out quite a ways and require a taxi , so I’m going to catch them at the show . Hopefully they will have replenished some stock this weekend.
they all are the same , metal shelving with bins full of lower end and trays with the higher end . Huge bags are stacked against the shelves and all over the floor ! This is one little corner of one room . This company has two separate work areas with offices and a large open area with trestle tables for sorting creating and matching .
First of all I’ll show you a pearl office ! Many are here in Kowloon in high rise buildings . A few of my favourite stops have moved out quite a ways and require a taxi , so I’m going to catch them at the show . Hopefully they will have replenished some stock this weekend.
they all are the same , metal shelving with bins full of lower end and trays with the higher end . Huge bags are stacked against the shelves and all over the floor ! This is one little corner of one room . This company has two separate work areas with offices and a large open area with trestle tables for sorting creating and matching .Katbran
Well-known member
What’s been interesting is that normally there would be buyers from all over in these offices , looking.at Pearls and placing orders . Almost had the place to myself. They just didn’t seem busy at all which was a bit unusual. And ..
Prices were higher on .several of my regular purchases . . A lot higher to the point where I changed direction and purchased something different. Also, pearls that I could always buy by ‘selection’ ( where you take a bag or bin and pick out the ones you want ) now had to be purchased by the kilo. Well ...I have no use for 3000$ in Coin Pearls. . So I’ll buy them elsewhere. Quite disappointing overall , I did pick up some excellent items , big fat ripple strands etc .
My second stop was Grace , home of the Edison . Normally I don’t buy a lot there but this time was a totally different experience. It was busy and friendly with absolutely fabulous pearls ...fabulous prices as well . Purple was everywhere ! At one point I had to stop myself pulling things out of the brand new hot off the presses bin of Purple round 11-12’s pearls . I had so many pairs that I almost had to slap my hand as it crawled back to the bin. So I cherry picked the nicest I could find and just in time ..a French buyer walked in , picked up the bin and said , I’ll take these. He bought 1000 pair of purple pearls . Earlier I missed out on 11-12 Whites as someone bought them all. So it was 12-13 for me ... sigh . Tomorrow at the show I’ll need to look around . But Grace was very busy , this was a change from last year when they seemed very quiet. The workers there said that white pearls are really popular this year . The mainlanders have apparently decided that white pearls are the ‘thing’ . Grace still has tons of their dyed gold freshwater. They called them Chinese Gold Pearls . See the photo.
Prices were higher on .several of my regular purchases . . A lot higher to the point where I changed direction and purchased something different. Also, pearls that I could always buy by ‘selection’ ( where you take a bag or bin and pick out the ones you want ) now had to be purchased by the kilo. Well ...I have no use for 3000$ in Coin Pearls. . So I’ll buy them elsewhere. Quite disappointing overall , I did pick up some excellent items , big fat ripple strands etc .
My second stop was Grace , home of the Edison . Normally I don’t buy a lot there but this time was a totally different experience. It was busy and friendly with absolutely fabulous pearls ...fabulous prices as well . Purple was everywhere ! At one point I had to stop myself pulling things out of the brand new hot off the presses bin of Purple round 11-12’s pearls . I had so many pairs that I almost had to slap my hand as it crawled back to the bin. So I cherry picked the nicest I could find and just in time ..a French buyer walked in , picked up the bin and said , I’ll take these. He bought 1000 pair of purple pearls . Earlier I missed out on 11-12 Whites as someone bought them all. So it was 12-13 for me ... sigh . Tomorrow at the show I’ll need to look around . But Grace was very busy , this was a change from last year when they seemed very quiet. The workers there said that white pearls are really popular this year . The mainlanders have apparently decided that white pearls are the ‘thing’ . Grace still has tons of their dyed gold freshwater. They called them Chinese Gold Pearls . See the photo.
Katbran
Well-known member
Here is a photo of a dyed pearl , obviously very poor quality. Bags of these around the place . 
you can see the pooling of the dye in the crease and also around the drill hole . 
you can see the pooling of the dye in the crease and also around the drill hole . Katbran
Well-known member
Lots of wonderful dinners , fun times and tired feet and eyes . I couldn’t fit my magnifying visor in my carry on and that was a mistake. Definitely should have brought it , reading glasses only provide a low level of assistance. If you don’t have any and you do any pearl work , definitely look into them .
Today I had look at findings and just picked up a few inexpensive Toggle clasps and Sterling ‘orbits’ . But it’s best to get the findings at the office as at the show .... it’s a zoo . But it’s a chance to buy three or four items and try them out . The minimum order for some items is 300 pieces, at the show you can buy 1 or more.
Today I had look at findings and just picked up a few inexpensive Toggle clasps and Sterling ‘orbits’ . But it’s best to get the findings at the office as at the show .... it’s a zoo . But it’s a chance to buy three or four items and try them out . The minimum order for some items is 300 pieces, at the show you can buy 1 or more.
Katbran
Well-known member
I had a question about Edison Keshi so when I was at Grace I asked ... they all discussed it and said .. no . They don’t have any Edison’s that aren’t bead nucleated , no Keshi. Whether they get sold off at the factory before the pearls get to the office ,who knows . This is something that Jeremy might be able to answer. But no one working there had ever heard of any. I’m going to look around tomorrow at the other sellers , as one of the Grace employees suggested ..they could be from a different company and retailers are just calling them Edison.
Fortunately, as I was lamenting the lack of Keshi , they had a new tray of fabulous multicoloured pearl strands arrive .... they weren’t on my list .....but ......
Fortunately, as I was lamenting the lack of Keshi , they had a new tray of fabulous multicoloured pearl strands arrive .... they weren’t on my list .....but ......
Katbran
Well-known member
View attachment 65749
This is my office view at Grace .. many happy hours playing with pearls and nice light .
This is my office view at Grace .. many happy hours playing with pearls and nice light .
Lady_Disdain
Member
oooh - I can just see this as a snakey head
CathyKeshi
Well-known member
My ice hockey tournament addled brain kept wondering why HK stored all their pearls in boxes upside down ... until I realized the bags of pearls were on the ... ceiling??? LOL, here's the right side up version:
86Corvettegirl
Well-known member
Thank you for the pics, Katbran!! Looking forward to show pics!
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Pearl Dreams
Pearl Enthusiast
Such interesting details, Katbran-- and photos. I look forward to more of your posts on the show.
I can't see the attachment in post #15 even if I click on it. Try posting it again, maybe smaller?
I can't see the attachment in post #15 even if I click on it. Try posting it again, maybe smaller?
BWeaves
Well-known member
And we worry how we store our pearls. The pros have plastic boxes and bags will tons of pearls all rubbing up against each other.
