I could not resist

[Aycee]

Well this morning I went to the Intergem show here in Chantilly VA I mentioned in another post.
Lots of nice jewelry, lot of beads, gemstones and pearls.
Most of the pearls I saw were either high end jewelers selling SS or Tahitian at high prices or beading quality at $1 to $8 a strand.
I did as Knotty suggested and left my wallet at home, but I could not resist to bring some cash cause you just never know
Then I saw something that caught my attention, this dealer seemed to had some nice looking pearls at the back of her stand so I thought they warranted a closer look. She had some nice coin pearls, some smaller nearly rounds, some huge baroque's (but not as nice as what we got from PP and at a higher price) and then I saw this

They are 9-10mm I'm not sure about quality but I think they might be AA and most show a pretty nice luster.
So I asked about the price, they were marked at $120 a strand.
She looked at me and said special price today $90.
I said sorry, to much and started studying them a bit closer.
She looked at me, then typed a bit on her calculator and said ok $60.
I said $60? How about if I take them all? She looked me over again and said ok $50. I studied them some more and then said I'll take them all and pay you cash if you take $40
She looked at me again then typed 6 x 40 on her calculator and said ok $40 if you pay cash.
I have no idea if I did well at this price but they seem pretty nice to me and I'm happy with my purchase.

 

[jshepherd]

You did really well. That is a great cash price. I would say you got her on the right day!

 

[knotty panda]

YOU DID GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! What's this gal's name? I'll look her up when they come this way in August! Man, I thought you had a deal at $90!

 

[Raisondetre]

Nice. Just curious, the owner wasn't Chinese was she? I seldom hear of such discounts with Western store owners, unless of course they're marking down for closing. I highly doubt you'd get a better deal in China with such small quantities. I was quoted RMB200 for a strand of white 7-8 mm AA that looked bleached.

 

[Casey.R]

They look good to me! Makes me want a multi colored strand actually

 

[Susan]

Aycee
Wow - What a negotiator. What do you intend to do with them? Are you going to break any of them up to make single colour strands?

Susan

 

[Aycee]

I wanted to thank you all for the nice comments on my purchase.
The lady I bought from is indeed Chinese. She gave me a card.
On it it says "Grace Wong" name of store is "Fine Connection" but it also says they specialize in beads and CZ beads.
As to being a good negotiator well I have this forum to thank for this mainly. In another thread on here I read that you should try and shoot for the 30% mark of what is listed, So I kinda knew what I had to strife for. I also acted like I was studying them intensely looking at luster and checking for blemishes To be honest I just looked at and grabbed the strands like I saw Jeremy do on his video. I hope that looked impressive and that she tought I knew what I was doing.
It didn't seem that hard to get her down in price and she really didn't have that many pearls compared to the beads she offered so maybe she just wanted to get rid of them who knows.
I broke up the strands and sorted the pearls by color. I took out the biggest and the best looking ones, they are gonna become a necklace for my wife. All I need is a clasp and a kind soul who is willing to string them for me. (big wink to all the fine stringers on here )
That's about it.

Alain

 

[knotty panda]

LOL, you want a stringer? Actually, were I you, I would go to a local bead store and ask if they have EXPERT stringing. Many bead stores have knotters, but are they GOOD knotters. Ask to see some samples of their work. I'm sure they have lots. Look for expert finishing touches such as gimp and teeny, tiny knots. Compare their work with your PP strand. Stay away from bead tips if you can. Make sure they use silk thread, not Griffin cord, and the thread matches the pearls in color.

Your local bead store will have clasps. Pick out a clasp either the same MM size as your strand or maybe even a little larger than your pearls, depending on your wife's dexterity. Don't be afraid of gold-filled unless your wife has serious allergies. Vermeil is also a nice choice and gives you a number of design options that 14kt and 18kt gold don't. Pick a clasp which has soldered ends such as a fish hook. Stay away from lobster claws.

Take a look at http://www.firemountaingems.com for an idea of clasps and their cost. Sterling clasps are extremely affordable.

Good luck!

--------------------------

Actually, this post belongs in the Lowly Beader Club discussion. One more thing I thought of, ask your bead store for design suggestions. You may not want your pearls knotted at all. Don't limit your design ideas.