My latest loots

There are two Singapore fairs. In 2017 they are:
- Singapore International Jewelry Expo (SIJE) from 6-9 July
- Singapore Jewellery & Gem Fair from 27-30 Oct

Based on this year's fair, SIJE is the bigger of the two.

If you are travelling to Asia just for the fairs, you may want to consider going to the Nov Hong Kong show that's like 10x bigger than the Singapore ones even though it's the smallest of the HK fairs. There are also fairs in Tokyo and Taiwan, just google to see when they are (I know the Taiwan one is open to public but I don't know if the Tokyo ones are). Indonesia also has an annual pearl fair in Jakarta but I've never managed to coincide my business trips with the fair.
 
LOVE the photos!

Out of curiosity, how do the prices at golay compare to the major online vendors? They have some astonishingly beautiful pearls, I'm just blown away by your purchases.
 
hanadama said:
LOVE the photos!

Out of curiosity, how do the prices at golay compare to the major online vendors? They have some astonishingly beautiful pearls, I'm just blown away by your purchases.
Click to expand...

I emailed inquiring about prices recently for some particular wish list items. I think their prices are a bit higher than some online vendors but their quality (from the photos they sent me) is impeccable, so I think it's pretty fair.
 
I've found prices from the fair vendors to be reasonable for the quality offered. You do pay for what you get. Beautiful lustrous unblemished pearls with nice colors and overtones don't come cheap... But it's reasonable for the quality, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten so many from these vendors over the years. :)

The peacocks are all from Eiko by the way.
 
I'm late here - wow, Icy, as usual, you picked some really gorgeous pearls! And thanks for posting those Golay strands, I think I'll be dreaming about the Tahitian/akoya graduated strands. Those are incredible.
 
Bweaves, I'm sure the lighting,camera quality and where you're viewing the pictures make a whole lot of difference. I find my phone either makes the colours and overtones show well but removes the luster or vice versa.
 
Katbran ... tell your sister to meet you in Tucson ... Michigan February problem solved :)
 
Bweaves,

You might want to go to the other site and look st the vendor vs irl Tahitian thread. It took me a really long time to realize that the colors only pop on Tahitians like they do in many peoples pictures if the light conditions are just so. Direct light, normal overhead light, fluorescent light etc. all make Tahitians look relatively grey. Diffuse light, shade, and light boxes will pop the colors. I can make my strands look hugely colorful under some lights, but that's not how they look on my neck in normal light. Of course, we all want to show our pearls to their best advantage, so we tend to play up the best light.
 
CathyKeshi said:
Katbran ... tell your sister to meet you in Tucson ... Michigan February problem solved :)
Click to expand...

I did suggest that ...but she wants me to stay longer. I usually stay about a month but if I only do Cal and Tuscon then I only get about 7 days with her. She won't accept that lol

BWeaves - I think they are only Wholesale but not 100% just my impression.

MSC - you asked about Stuller. Just contact them and ask for the forms or I think you can do it on line. You need W9 and Reseller # for sure for the top access and I can't remember what else. They do have 3 levels of entry I think. They have an Artisan one that just requires the W9 I think. And they have a student one that give access to findings and tools.

Basically you can probably get access with a W9 to everything but proper stones and some of the more fancy pants findings. You can get melee stones and findings etc on the Artisan and Student.

But they are a bit difficult...you have to buy something every year or they drop you and you have to completely reapply. annoying that they just don't reactivate you.
 
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Katbran said:
MSC - you asked about Stuller. Just contact them and ask for the forms or I think you can do it on line. You need W9 and Reseller # for sure for the top access and I can't remember what else. They do have 3 levels of entry I think. They have an Artisan one that just requires the W9 I think. And they have a student one that give access to findings and tools.

But they are a bit difficult...you have to buy something every year or they drop you and you have to completely reapply. annoying that they just don't reactivate you.
Click to expand...

The W9 aspect of the application I find very aggravating as sole proprietors aren't required to file one in the states. Their application would be the only reason I'd ever file for one and it doesn't really seem worth it. I do want to see what sort of settings they have, but I don't know if it's worth all the trouble.
 
BWeaves, cmd has a point. I find my Tahitians look different depending on where I am in the house. In different rooms, different colors pop, and all in natural light. Outdoors the pearls look less colorful unless the day is overcast.
 
I thought anyone could go onto their site and see the findings. To be honest..they have very nice looking findings but the prices are high..not many deals to be found lol However..they do have findings that appear to be high quality and much like those you might find in a good jewellery store... I've never really sussed it out but it seemed like you saved maybe 30% over retail? I didn't buy anything last year so when I actually went to look for something on their site....arrrggghhhh ... have to reapply. So very annoying. lol So my sister is going to go through the form filling and get us back in ...
 
MSC said:
Do you know if Eiko sells non-wholesale? Their website appeared to be wholesale only.
Click to expand...

I asked before and they said their main business is wholesale. They typically sell to consumers like me during jewellery shows in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore and Taiwan.


Bailey1856 said:
Bweaves, I'm sure the lighting,camera quality and where you're viewing the pictures make a whole lot of difference. I find my phone either makes the colours and overtones show well but removes the luster or vice versa.
Click to expand...

cmd2014 said:
Bweaves,

You might want to go to the other site and look st the vendor vs irl Tahitian thread. It took me a really long time to realize that the colors only pop on Tahitians like they do in many peoples pictures if the light conditions are just so. Direct light, normal overhead light, fluorescent light etc. all make Tahitians look relatively grey. Diffuse light, shade, and light boxes will pop the colors. I can make my strands look hugely colorful under some lights, but that's not how they look on my neck in normal light. Of course, we all want to show our pearls to their best advantage, so we tend to play up the best light.
Click to expand...

Pearl Dreams said:
BWeaves, cmd has a point. I find my Tahitians look different depending on where I am in the house. In different rooms, different colors pop, and all in natural light. Outdoors the pearls look less colorful unless the day is overcast.
Click to expand...

True, the background, lighting n camera plays a part for sure. And I'll be very honest, I do try to capture them at their best cos I enjoy well taken pearl pics very much and thought you ladies would too. But I try to be true to life so I don't edit the pics except maybe to crop them and I try to select pics that properly reflects what I actually see in real life. In fact, one problem I often encounter is that sometimes in pics the pearls look washed out/Super dark when in reality they are gorgeous.

All pics are (as always) taken with my trusty iphone. For what it's worth, I think the iphone takes better pearl pics than some of the other brands out there.

As for lighting, I try to avoid direct sunlight cos the pearl pics just look awful. It's hard cos I live in the tropics and it's mostly sunny you know? So from experience I try to take pics in the mornings or evenings when the light isn't as harsh. And I no longer use a light tent cos I simply don't have the time to fiddle with one. So most of my recent shots have been taken in my balcony. Selfies are almost always in flouroscent light cos how else do I access a mirror? (Smile) I disagree that flouroscent lighting washes pearls out. Some of the selfie pearl colors have been quite astounding and they reflect what I see in real life.

BUT, those pics are impossible if the pearls are not gorgeous in the first place. You know how it is that good looking people almost always looks good in photos? I find the same applies for pearls.

To demonstrate, I took a few pics in not great background and not great lighting. One strand is AAA graded described as green with peacock overtone, one is the super peacock baroque (which is also green with peacock overtone) and last one is my wave strand (cos that strand is nearly a pure body color strand with no overtones). What you probably can't tell from the pics is that the super peacock baroque strand has much better luster that's really obvious in real life. And the overtones are really strong. When you see red, it's not the body color but the overtone that is being captured.

IMG_5739.jpg

IMG_5742.jpg

IMG_1432.jpg

IMG_1434.jpg

IMG_1433.jpg
 
Just to beautiful!!! Thank you for pearl photography hints. I have never been unable to capture the true colors of my Tahitians anywhere I photograph them in my environment.
 
I saw Icyjade's two baroque peacock strands from the last fair and can vouch that the colours are stunning. No surprise she bought them.
By the way, I am YC from PS.
 
Oh YC you must share your harmony strand pics! They are gorgeous too.

Icy love the photo tips. And showcasing the differences. I've seen the wave in real life and it's amazing. Will need to see the super peacock baroque.
I like take pearl photos. And the best spot in the house is in my kids room on a sunny morning, on the floor, by the window. The sight of me squatting and taking pics is hilarious
 
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