Wow Raison d'?tre! You really have been studying up! Everything she said about the akoya, freshwater, Tahitian and South Sea is spot on.
Yes, you can get it all in Hong Kong. This is a much safer way to go, for the most part. This is where the large majority of US wholesalers get their Chinese pearls. This includes nearly all the sellers at the Tucson and Vegas shows, and beading stores around the country. Very few of them actually venture into China. This may change after the CP&J project is finished, however. There are several reasons why this is. First and foremost is because dealing in Hong Kong is easy. Business is conducted there much like it is conducted in the Western world. This is not to say you will never get taken. I got hit very hard by a company once in Hong Kong, but for the most part, it is safe.
*see my note at the bottom of this thread!
Tahitian and South Sea pearls can be sourced in Hong Kong as well. This is actually a very good place to get them. You can get them in Japan as well, in the Kobe area. Prices are very similar for matched strands and pairs. There is not a lot of difference in that realm. Your cost will depend completely on how much you intend to spend. For strands of Tahitians, they are all priced in
this range for anything of good color, luster, and light spotting - but only if you are buying a substantial amount. If you are looking for 1 or 2 strands, forget about it. You will get price marked, and that will be very similar to US average wholesale. Approximately double what you see on that page.
Discounts work like this from one big Tahitian and South Sea wholesaler that I won't mention publicly due to the nature of this post. The marked price is their wholesale price. If you buy one or two strands, this is what you pay. If you pass them at the show, see some pearls you like, this is what you pay. The next step down is 25%. You have to be a pretty big buyer to get to that level. The next step is down to 45%. If you get this you are a good, long-term customer. The final "typical" discount is 50%. You are then considered a major customer.
There is, however, one final discount that only a select few are privy to. This is a 62% discount that is a "close out only" discount. New goods are coming in, so move out the old. You may also got this discount by purchasing entire lots - or a specific production run. But you have to be able to move several hundred strands. We did this with Golden South Sea baroques last year, and it worked quite well. This is a great way to purchase, but it is not consistent. When it is available, the price is very close to production - what it would cost me, for example, to make the strands or buy the loose lots personally.
So basically what I am trying to say is that it does not necessarily matter who you buy from, it matters most "how" you buy, and how much you are ready to spend. With the aforementioned company you will not likely go below 25% until you have made several decent purchases - and decent is anywhere between $50-$100k.
Freshwater are the best, easiest game to start with. If you are starting small, you would best be suited to stay in Hong Kong. But if your heart is really set on Zhuji, do yourself a favor and sit down for a few solid days with this Website. There are about 12000 posts, as of today, so there is a lot of reading. But I cannot imagine a better way of getting prepared for that type of trip.
With akoya, be very, very, very careful. I would strongly suggest staying away until you are very knowledgeable about them. You
must be able to gauge nacre depth, compare luster, and know the seller's tricks. You also need to be able to distinguish high grade pearls from over processed pearls - very difficult to do. The akoya business is probably the most difficult, and that is why so few people do it successfully. Most sellers blindly place their faith in a Japanese factory, overpay for the quality they receive, then overcharge based on a "product of Japan" label that means nothing related to actual origin.
*This is the company that "ripped me off" in Hong Kong. Not for a huge amount of money, but 5 years ago it really felt like it. They took me for about $15,000, and they are still in business. If you see "Pierre", run!
Name: Infinity Jewelry Company Limited
Address: Suite A, 13/F,
Eastern Flower Centre,
22-24 Cameron Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: 23670418
Fax: 852-23669148
E-Mail:
pierre@infinityjew.com
Web: www(dot)infinityjew(dot)com
Pierre,
I think we may finally be even...
He has posted a few videos on YouTube of him bargaining and most of it, if not all, of it is in Chinese. Also in his signature you can find a link to a Chinese Business Blog here: 
