Buy direct from China finished pearl jewellry

[Doug (Integrity Pearls)]

Jeremy, that's funny! It's true, there are some amazing huge "factories" in Shanxiahu, with mostly empty rooms! ... I once met with another of those 3 parties mentioned - Zhangzheke - who pretended to be a big pearl company, but was in fact only a clever entrepreneurial go-between individual, who took me to one of the other vendors whom I had just finished visiting! Zhangzheke seems to have mastered the art of marketing himself through e-mail, but I did not appreciate being misled, and that's the last I ever saw of him, though he continues to send me his e-mails! I believe any pearl company with Zhuji or Zhejiang in their name are in fact based in Shanxiahu. There are scores of pearl jewelry manufacturers there, some big and many small.

 

[pierrettedE]

So, Lovely it may have to be. I was thinking the same about Zhang. I got an email a couple of days ago saying his 'store' opened March 1 and the pearl market was busy.. i imagine it must be right about now...

I got pricing and many pictures (pretty pictures with leaves...anyway...) from Tear of Angel and I found their prices really much higher than others for some reason. What's with the per strand pricing? I've repeated /kg but it's as though they don't understand this.

True, no product between us. I have nothing to negociate with and nothing to compare to. The company I dealt with in Hong Kong sent the pearls on credit. Yes, really. Sending them back would cost quite a bit, but if you're dealing with a few thousand $ it's a pretty positive arrangement. Is that completely out of the question when dealing with China?

 

[Doug (Integrity Pearls)]

All the pearl vendors in Shanxiahu were closed for up to 3 weeks for the Chinese New Year/Spring Festival celebration. I was there during those days. The town was eerily quiet! But they are all open again now. ... Some wholesale vendors sell the unfinished pearls by strand, others by kilo. It often doesn't make a difference, it's just a different way of looking at the same thing, and many buyers actually prefer the "per strand" price. The assumption is that you are buying each type of pearl in volume - not 1 strand of this, 1 strand of that. If you try to buy like that, your cost will definitely be higher. ... That's good you got the pearls from Hong Kong on credit. They were brave to do that, but it's not uncommon - they must have had reason to feel they can trust you. It's also one of the ways to get you to purchase more, and they knew you would be unlikely to return them (which is one problem with buying directly from Asia). The vendors inside China might not be so brave, and are not as smooth to deal with as are the Hong Kong vendors. If you get a really good relationship going, they might send on credit also, but I think it's not as likely as with the Hong Kong vendors.

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Doug
Nice to see you posting here. We have other members from the Philippines too.

I have bought from you a couple of times and will continue to check out your catalog. Just wanted to let you know I mention you regularly as a member here and an eBay seller people can trust, for loose strands. (no commission expected )

I just ordered some "Lop Noor" red pearls from you. And I think something else because it was 11mm. Glad to see you getting in a few larger sizes. How does buying, transporting, selling larger sizes 12mm and over, work for you? They are very popular over here among the "Lowly Beaders Club"and in short supply.

So here is our "order": For some reason, I have settled on you as the guy to get it for us!
The rule would be the best possible luster first, shape second. The roundish baroques are preferred over oblong. Whites and peacocks would be the favorite colors, but who knows- I think red ones 12mm and over would be popular too, because we have a fascination for the legendary Lop Noor red pearls over here and are always looking for large pearls with that really special red.

Who knows, I might even try a pea green dyed pearl strand, if it were a klonk (over 12mm) and had some orient!

 

[pattye]

Integrity Pearl order--A slightly dramatized version----

She giggled with glee as she ripped open the package from Integrity Pearls. Her faux faux faux legendary Loop Nor red pearls had arrived!! They were shining, glorious, delicious as a tree-ripened Bing cherries, a few with light circles, "circles of love," so charming and sentimental. She felt terribly grateful to her friend, Caitlin for letting her know how to contact that man, Dougas, and purchase some strands, instead of keeping those rare gems all for herself!!! Pattye draped them around her neck and danced with joy--and danced again when she saw the white keishi strands, plump petals with iridescent shades of color, all that keishi should be------

Pattye

 

[tacy_cc]

Hi PierrettedE,

I just came back yesterday from the HK jewelry trade show. I must say that if you offer to buy cfwp there by the strand (from the wholesalers selling pearl strands by-the-bucket, as in like, as big as garbage cans!)then it comes out 4 times more expensive than if i buy down here from wholesalers in the greenhills pearl market. Although they do speak english at the trade show, I didn't buy a single pearl from my trip. As a fashion jewelry exporter(small scale)I do have to thank wholesalers since they buy in huge amounts and can really negotiate prices down for small time artists such as myself. My value added really is design whereas the wholesaler's value added is the risk he takes with cost of money, capital positioning etc so that the pearls can get to me cheaper and in good condition. I can't afford to take trips to China so often (even if it's just 1 1/2 hours away from the Philippines) to buy directly from market as my capital base is limited and like you i also have 3 young kids( boys aged 1,3 and 15) and a growing business to nurture! I would recommend identifying a good wholesaler from this forum to save you the trouble and getting more value. But of course going on an informative trip is still worth it for all the insight you can acquire. This forum is really doing me a big favor by putting all this expert insight at my reach. There's another show in HK this September. Maybe you can attend that as well as take a side trip to the mainland. You can even arrange for a visit to a pearl farm where they will give you free pearls from an actual oyster that they pluck out of the water, pry open with a knife...fleshy stuff stuck to it and all. I bumped into some ladies at the airport lounge who told me about their side trip and showed me the handful of free small pearls they got. Good luck!

Anastacia Casta?eda Aoki
www.leaf-jewellery.dk

 

[Doug (Integrity Pearls)]

Hi, CAITLIN. Thanks for your nice note, and thanks very much for mentioning us to others. I'm glad you liked those big red "Lop Noor" cranberries - they looked good enough to eat. I'll try to post more often here, because I find I learn a lot by being involved! We'll try to keep finding the biggest pearls we can. I have gotten smarter and found ways to get these all the way from China to our customers' mailboxes without having to lug them around myself. Even a SMALL box of pearls can be very heavy! We will do our best to feature more and more big pearls, guided by your suggestions. We did a recent Customer Survey, and their No.1 request was for BIG. ... One question - how exactly does a "roundish baroque" look to you?

 

[Doug (Integrity Pearls)]

PATTYE - I think we need to hire you to write all the descriptions in our Catalog! That was a masterpiece!

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Doug and Pattye
I got my faux, faux Lop Noors too! Luscious big cranberries with copper and burnt orange tones by lamplight and 12mm average size!!! some are a bit eggy shaped- some with very light cirlcle' both variations always ok with me to get the size.

And I thought I'd be searching for years!

For what I mean by roundish baroque: Potato pearls of course ,and other suchlike.
https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1127
Post #1 the bottom strand;
post #13;

And Pattye's "funky" pearls...Do we have a picture of those? I'm looking. Oh here we go.... see below.

And thanks Pattye for telling me where you got these..... I really love the incredible luster-unlike most freshwater pearls. They are roundish, but have all kinds of lapses in their roundness.

Circle is fine on big pearls- I have seen some beauties-

 

[Doug (Integrity Pearls)]

Caitlin, those "Lop Noors" sold out quickly; I did not realize they would make some people so happy. We will definitely try to get more and keep them in the Catalog. The Chinese drive us crazy with the dyed pearls, especially the large ones, with luscious varieties appearing in the marketplace then disappearing again. We must start purchasing them by the sackful!