International Gem & Jewelry show

[jody]

Hi--

First of all THANKS for all the response on the 'sticking my NECK' out in regards to my pearls. I do have the opportunity with PP to have my strand lengthened (via email from Kirsten) and just have to decide if that is what I want to do or maybe wait and purchase a longer strand later. I wore my pearls to church on Sunday and felt so good in them. They are just so pretty. I noticed another older woman with a longer stand of freshwater baroques in the lavendar and peaches, thought not as pretty as PP's. However, it was nice to see someone else in pearls.

This weekend I am visiting my sister and the International Gem & Jewelry Show will be near her. We are planning on going to the show and from the pictures I've looked at on line, looks like a big event!!

I would like to learn how to string a strand of pearls (I have 3 daughters who love jewelry!!) and wanted some input on what to look for in searching for a hank of pearls. Now, I don't think I'll be spending a lot of money on something like this, but a jeweler friend said sometimes you can get fairly inexpensive hanks there. Any thoughts? I suppose I could get pearls of eBay, but at least I'll get to see these in person.

Anybody ever been to this show, anyone know of individuals/companies that might be good sources to check out?

Thanks for any input!

Jody

 

[GemGeek]

I think you are talking about the show that is casually known as Intergem. If so, it's kind of like the GemFaire. Lots of stuff to be had there and they should have a good variety. I'm not sure about their pearl vendors, but there is no substitute for being able to select your pearls in person.

Have fun!

 

[pattye]

Hi Jody,

A few suggestions:

Take or wear your nice pearls so you have something to compare for lustre. I prefer high lustre over roundness. Caitlin had her rope of freshadamas at Tucson, so that was easy to compare!!

Lights are very bright and that makes it harder to see white chalky spots and small pits. I took my "craft glasses" 3.25x to Tucson and just that amount of magnification kept me from making an expensive mistake! ( a $650 strand of dark purple 10mm very round pearls) They also help me evaluate how round a strand is.

Not sure if you are going for color or white. It is so much more difficult to match colors and shapes from the stash at home than I ever thought! So much simpler to get an extra strand at time of purchase, then be able to choose the best 2 matching pearls for earrings, make a bracelet, or longer necklace, etc. Sometimes there is a pearl or 2 that just isn't the quality you want, even by the clasp.

A hank can have as many as 20 strands, or lesser quantity if some of the strands have been pulled off and sold already. If you find a whole hank you want, be sure to ask for a discount. It seems like the more expensive pearls will have hanks of roughly 3-8 strands (approx $40 and up).

Most hanks will be marked with a size range, but you can take your gauge and double check--you may have read here about the Chinese measurements being almost a mm smaller. Very few hanks will actually have a grade such as A or AA.

These observations are just based on my experiences, and sorry if I am repeating what you already know--let us know what you find!!

Glad you are wearing your beautiful pearls and getting compliments!

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Pearl Dreams]

We go to the Intergem show every year and I always look at the pearls. IMO this show is not a good source for higher luster round pearls. There are a lot of commercial grade pearls.

I have gotten some nice rice shaped pearls and off-rounds with good luster at this show, but there are enough lower-luster pearls in each strand that I needed to buy several strands to get enough pearls to make a nice-looking necklace and earrings. The less lustrous pearls I used for a bracelet.

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Pattye! That was brilliant! That post need to also be in maybe the Tucson Thread. It is a very good summary of how buying commercial pearls works.

Commercial pearls may have brilliant luster in non-round shapes. I got two 9mm White buttons strands with some of the best luster of any of my pearls, just as one example. The pearls near the sales table will be the best quality. You will pay a lot more if you try to cherry pick one of those with no other purchase. The price goes down the more other pearls you buy.

I think it is to be expected that there will be some worse pearls in a lot of strands. As with the sizes, the quality is carefully parceled out among each strands. Otherwise they would end up with all the ugly pearls. Like the size thing. If you buy 7-8 MM, the center few pearls will be the biggest and they will taper slightly in size to the back. They do that in 5-6 6-7 also, but it is not quite as obvious. It's so they don't end up with nothing but ugly pearls.

I once had to buy 30 strands (They were $3-4 a strand) to get one strand where every pearl was a klonk-(12mm+) in real measurements. Only the pearl in the center was 12mm or more, One center bead was 14mm and it had 2 twelves next to it. But there was only one like that in the entire lot!

 

[Pearlgully]

Keep this in mind too, that the lighting fixtures at the gem shows deliberately distort the color of the pearls or stones. It can make the color look much better than it really is. I've learned from experience that whatever I buy at a gem show, always looks different when I get it home.

If you are unable to move away from the over head lights, try to block out some of the light by putting your hand over the pearl. Sometimes I have to tell the vendor what I am doing so they don't think I'm trying to steal anything.



Gail

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Today my husband and I went to the InterGem show (International Gem and Jewelry Show at the Connecticut Expo Center in Hartford, CT. It's running tomorrow and Sunday as well (Sat. 10-6, Sun. 11-5)

I have previously posted that I have not found this show to be an especially good source of pearls in the past, and that most temporarily strung pearls there are commercial grade. This year I found some good deals, so I thought I'd post and point you all to the sellers I liked best when buying CFWP on a tight budget.

Several dealers were selling jewelry made with SS, GSS and Tahitians. I saw a beautiful baroque Akoya strand. But my budget today was not able to handle those larger purchases. I needed some thread for pearls already bought (and found taupe thread for my oval exotics-- thanks to Knotty Panda for the suggestion of using taupe.)

If you are going to this show and want very inexpensive yet pretty strands or earrings (dangles and studs), the best deals were at Janes Pearl World. There I bought two strands of 6mm (perpendicular to drill hole) oval lavender pearls, knotted and strung onto sterling lobster claw clasps with French wire for only $4 each; these had nice luster and some metallic and two-tone pearls, but you have to dig around in the tubs to find the strands you like. Buy several and wear them as a torsade.

Also I bought 10mm fat button lavender studs for $5 (smaller ones were $3) and 7mm lavender ovals dangling from sterling chain/French hook for $3. I was delighted with the quality. Both look great with my exotics.

This same seller also had higher quality round pearl strands, white and colors, including one 8-9mm round multicolored strand with some exotic pearls (metallic/ unusual colors) for $230 (that was one only...may be gone by tomorrow...) Those were really nice! In addition they had other styles of jewelry. All the pearls were finished jewelry. Go see their stuff! You can't lose.

For temporary strands, I liked best Star Gem & Beads, Inc. From this vendor I bought 3 strands of 6-7mm multicolor rounds/off rounds (with a few exotic metallic colored pearls among them) costing only $6 each, which I will make into a necklace/ bracelet/ earrings for my daughter, who liked my exotics after all (and she thought she wouldn't. HA! Mom knew better )

In addition I found some colorful, egg-y, circled dyed CFW peacock pearls from JK Int'l Import Inc., for $4 each. I bought 3 strands so I could cherry pick the best ones.

Hmmm, maybe I should buy some more pearls when go back with our daughter tomorrow so she can shop, too.

Oh, and we don't have a resale license so I can't tell you what was in the back room!

 

[Caitlin]

Very good shopping! I'd love to see that show but I don't thinkit comes to Tucson. Do you have a camera? We need to see more of those well chosen lowly beader pearls.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I do have a camera and I'll add pix sometime this weekend.
Right now we're sitting down to a late supper! Corned beef...

 

[jerin]

I do have a camera and I'll add pix sometime this weekend.
Right now we're sitting down to a late supper! Corned beef...

Hi Pearl_dreams and thanks for a very interesting reading, here it will be breakfast soon, I feel hungry when hearing you mentioning late supper

 

[pattye]

Hi,

I too look forward to seeing the photos! If you check www.intergem.com you will find cities where the show will be.
It was just here in Portland, but I didn't go. Gotta save a few bucks! I just knew if I went I would spend! Must only be here once a year, or the rest of the year's schedule hasn't been announced.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Well-- the weekend was busier than I'd planned! We went back with free re-entry passes with our daughter on Sat. and Sun. as well, as my husband had some things he wanted and needed time to think about what he was willing to spend and search out the best deals.

Since I had more time, I ended up buying more pearls. At Janes Pearl world (the same place I got the lavender CFW strands and earrings) I bought CFW peach colored 10mm button studs ($5) and drop earrings ($4 for a 1-pearl drop, $5 for a 2-pearl drop) to go with my 8.5-9.5mm oval exotics, which are predominantly peach colored, plus some 10mm dyed peacock CFW studs ($5).

At another booth, All Beads Corp., I bought two strands of approx. 8-9mm fat CFW white baroques for $4 each, and at Chinese Art Import I found one fairly nice 6mm round white CFWP suitable for a two strand bracelet (but not nice enough for a necklace IMO) for $5-- all the rest of the strands in that hank were less lustrous.

I really have to stop now, and save up for Josh's offer!

I've been remiss about photos, partly because I've had no time, and partly because I've already taken apart the temporary strands to sort the pearls in preparation for making something with them! I will post what I make with them, later.

So I officially eat my words about buying pearls at this show!

Oh-- for what it's worth, at closing on Sunday Janes Pearl World still hadn't sold the $230 8-9mm multicolored strand that was so nice. And I just checked online and they have a website (though that strand isn't pictured on it):
http://www.janespearlworld.com/index.php

Hmmm... I looked closer at the website and it looks like they put a freshwater strand in the Akoya category. May not be a great idea to buy from the website, but if you go to a show, check them out.

 

[jshepherd]

I would be careful with that one. It appears as though all of the "akoya" pieces are freshwater. The only actual akoya photo on this page is lifted from The Pearl Outlet. All the other photos are freshwater, including the special pendant in the left nav.

 

[Caitlin]

Let's see- In general I have learned from off site CFWP pearl sellers that:
Tahitian is the new word for black,
akoya is the new word for round and shiny.
Round is the new word for eggy.
6-7mm is the new word for 5-6mm
River pearl is the new word for CFWP baroque or nugget..........
"You get what is pictured" is the new way of saying, "I stole the photos"

Hmmmm, what have I missed?

 

[richipat]

Caitlin -- made me laugh out loud

Caitlin -- made me laugh out loud

very funny and very clever