Hong Kong

[Katbran]

Hi there pearlie people ! Just a little note and s few photos from the offices . I've been here for a week and have finished all my shopping...well ...maybe not ALL .. a few bits and pieces to find.

I'd been invited to visit the rooms early so took advantage to beat the rush. Even then it can be hard to get what you want - decisions need to be made quickly. I passed on a few pieces and a few minutes later decided to buy. Within minutes a group of German jewellers had bought the entire lot !

Ve caught up with Betty Sue King for dinners and tomorrow we are heading out for a proper bacon and eggs breakfast. BettybSue has been coming here for about 25 yrs I think . She knows her way around town that's for sure !

Tomorrow is a day off ..thank goodness . Thursday was 9 hits at a desk sorting pearls at two spots , Friday was 10 hours at one spot , today was a short 6 hrs then a trip to the history museum. My eyes could not look at another pearl !!

So I'll just show some of the photos I put on Instagram . They are fairly random images of pearls - nothing that I bought - just pretty things ! If they are upside down ...mostly it won't matter ! a few metallics .. they ran out a few days later . Used them all in necklaces .

 

[Katbran]

Just one of a stack of necklaces !

 

[Katbran]

This is how you count the little pearls when you are facing a whole tub full !

 

[Katbran]

Again , one from a stack of cards . They use up the nicest ones in the days before the show . Each day it gets harder to find the nice deep colours as the best cards are snapped up by jewellers who come in and cherry pick the nicest. At times I felt like I was following in the path of locusts lol

 

[Katbran]

View attachment 55028strands of Edisons , WSS and GSS , some with Tahitians. Very pretty soft spring colours. Also WSS and GSS Harvest strands as well as standard round necklaces.

 

[Katbran]

I'll post a few more tomorrow...bed time ,!

 

[Luvglitz]

Katbran, I loved following you around the show. I would be overwhelmed by the decisions about what to buy.

 

[Bailey1856]

Katbran, very nice!!! Thank you! I can't wait to see more.

 

[kalmen22]

Keep up the instag. Having fun following

 

[BWeaves]

Beautiful.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Yes, thanks for posting! I love your "preview" of the show.

 

[lmgarden]

Thanks for posting, Katbran! Love all the pictures!!

 

[Sanippy]

Great photos Katbran, please keep them coming!!

 

[2thdktr]

Really interesting-- loved the paddle with the holes for specific mm measurement.

 

[Katbran]

Thank you everyone.! It is exhausting but at least my decent into bankruptcy is interesting! Off with Betty Sue for BACON AND EGGS AND A LATTE !!! Sorry for shouting ..but my usual breakfast ...well it's not quite ... I mean ..have you ever had Mashed potatoes and chicken gravy as the side for eggs ..with a toasted hamburger bun ...? Of course you can substitute Salted Fish sticks for the potatos ...

 

[Katbran]

View attachment 55030
Even the pearls wear pearls !

 

[Katbran]

This is the Night Market - blocks of little stalls selling trash and treasure ,,, little restaurants crammed into the mix . Absolutely packed .. Betty led the way to a favourite Nepalese restaurant . Up and down the streets..back and forth ..trying to find the address . All in the crush of people, the heat and stilfling humidity . Boy was I looking forward to. Tall glass of Iced Lemon Tea and a marvellous meal.

 

[Katbran]

View attachment 55032

And ..TaDaaah! Here we are ! Good thing we booked ! Seats 16 ..snugly. Food ...WONDERFUL! One woman cooks and a young man waits tables. Good thing I love little ' hole in the wall' spots like this . Eating in HK is much like buying pearls in HK. It's easy to buy the best ..or eat the best ..you go to the top places and throw lots of money at them . The trick is finding the best at a better price by sorting through all the possibilities. That takes days and days and days of nothing but sitting in offices and sorting through pearls. Or sorting through all the little restaurants to find one that is top notch ! A local Hong Kong resident who has worked in top quality pearls for a Japanese company put us onto this place ! God bless local knowledge!!



Sorry , upside down !

 

[CathyKeshi]

Can anyone see Katbran's photos on posts #16 and #18? The photo in #17 is showing ...

 

[Katbran]

The boss was in the office this week and sitting at my table putting together necklaces ...this was ( I apologise for the poor photo ) a nong rope , continuous design . Very large , pale Ripples. There used to be lots of these pale pale ones around but as the colours improved they aren't quite as dominant. He was very pleased with it ! Personally I like a bit more colour depth ..pale but still with colour . But it was pretty...be darn heavy ...they were really big. They look a bit darker in,this photo .. when down on the table they darkened , wearing them they looked pale. Just the way the light worked . ( lighting is dreadful in the offices..all long tube yellow flickering fluorescent...ugh