Caitlin
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2004
- Messages
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Here is a link to a good review of the Las Vegas gem show June 2005.
http://www.diamonds.net/news/newsitem.asp?num=12634&type=all&topic=all
This is a good description of gem shows in general, including the one here in Tucson, which is even bigger than the LV show. The overall size and unmanageability of these shows is increased by the practice of bigger sellers having at least 2-3 booths in different sub-shows.
Even though gem shows are billed as wholesale only, they often have many exhibitors in peripheral sub-shows, who are open to the public. I strongly recommend that, pro or not, arts and crafters, costumers and re-enactors, attend at least the public parts of shows like this for the good prices and large variety. One good seller example of how multiple booths works out is Jim Peach of The American Pearl Company. He had his fancy booth with the glass shelves in the GLDA show, which had strict entrance requirements, AND he had a much bigger booth in one of the motel rooms along the I-10 Frontage Road where the public had free access. Instead of glass cases, he had the little boxes all piled up on tables and barrels full of shells.
These shows have every kind of pearl at every price, unfinished and finished strands and jewelry. so look around and take your pick. Some pearls have had multiple middle men by the time they get to these shows and a few have a minimum of middle men. The pearls at the GLDA and the AGTA shows were the highest quality and extremely high priced, double and triple the average prices of several of the members of this forum for finished jewelry. $90 was an average price for an unfinished 16" strand of AA fw size 7+mm.
For the best prices, I saw one seller at the G&LW show, Roy Chen of Evergreen Trading , who had AA+ in the7+mm for $28. His booth was the largest I saw at the show, it took up the width of a huge building- maybe 6 tables deep by 16 tables wide- piled high. And I didn’t even see his second booth in the JGX show. He had a huge variety of fw pearls, in every shape, color, size (except under 4mm)and quality, cheapest prices were around the edges where I picked up some potato pearls 3-4mm for $1 a strand-$6 for 10. Most expensive pearls were near the center. I got the best luster on 5-6mm AA I have seen anywhere.
Evergreen’s coin pearls had beautiful skins and went for $8- in black, white and natural. I haven’t seen that price matched anywhere else. $39-$90 was standard when my sister-in-law and I scoured Chinatown this spring. $39 is also standard in bead stores real and online. My daughter picked out several colored strands in about a 4mm, gold, silver, peach @$6 and encouraged me to buy a hank of the black12+mm with the rough skins for $10 each. Oh yes, the button pearls were so well matched and such high luster, we bagged some of them as well- also $6-8 per. In short, we kept adding to the pile and today, I am sorry I didn’t spend double because they only better prices seem to be in China itself.
http://www.diamonds.net/news/newsitem.asp?num=12634&type=all&topic=all
This is a good description of gem shows in general, including the one here in Tucson, which is even bigger than the LV show. The overall size and unmanageability of these shows is increased by the practice of bigger sellers having at least 2-3 booths in different sub-shows.
Even though gem shows are billed as wholesale only, they often have many exhibitors in peripheral sub-shows, who are open to the public. I strongly recommend that, pro or not, arts and crafters, costumers and re-enactors, attend at least the public parts of shows like this for the good prices and large variety. One good seller example of how multiple booths works out is Jim Peach of The American Pearl Company. He had his fancy booth with the glass shelves in the GLDA show, which had strict entrance requirements, AND he had a much bigger booth in one of the motel rooms along the I-10 Frontage Road where the public had free access. Instead of glass cases, he had the little boxes all piled up on tables and barrels full of shells.
These shows have every kind of pearl at every price, unfinished and finished strands and jewelry. so look around and take your pick. Some pearls have had multiple middle men by the time they get to these shows and a few have a minimum of middle men. The pearls at the GLDA and the AGTA shows were the highest quality and extremely high priced, double and triple the average prices of several of the members of this forum for finished jewelry. $90 was an average price for an unfinished 16" strand of AA fw size 7+mm.
For the best prices, I saw one seller at the G&LW show, Roy Chen of Evergreen Trading , who had AA+ in the7+mm for $28. His booth was the largest I saw at the show, it took up the width of a huge building- maybe 6 tables deep by 16 tables wide- piled high. And I didn’t even see his second booth in the JGX show. He had a huge variety of fw pearls, in every shape, color, size (except under 4mm)and quality, cheapest prices were around the edges where I picked up some potato pearls 3-4mm for $1 a strand-$6 for 10. Most expensive pearls were near the center. I got the best luster on 5-6mm AA I have seen anywhere.
Evergreen’s coin pearls had beautiful skins and went for $8- in black, white and natural. I haven’t seen that price matched anywhere else. $39-$90 was standard when my sister-in-law and I scoured Chinatown this spring. $39 is also standard in bead stores real and online. My daughter picked out several colored strands in about a 4mm, gold, silver, peach @$6 and encouraged me to buy a hank of the black12+mm with the rough skins for $10 each. Oh yes, the button pearls were so well matched and such high luster, we bagged some of them as well- also $6-8 per. In short, we kept adding to the pile and today, I am sorry I didn’t spend double because they only better prices seem to be in China itself.
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