Living in Shanghai China

[rocawilson]

I work for an American company and was recently transferred to Shanghai China. I will be making several trips back and forth each year and have considered investing in pearls to bring back with me to sell in the states.

Before putting out any cash I could use some advice. Are there any recommended books that talk about buying in the Chinese market? I recently purchased "The Pearl Book. The definitive Buying Guide", by Antoinette Matlins, P.G. which seems to be a good educational starting point.

What approach could I take to find potential buyers in the states? If I solicited local jewelers would they be interested?

What kinds of pearls would be the smartest investment.

What kind of markup could I expect to see?

Where is the best place to buy in China?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[missmouse]

hi,
i am also an american living in shanghai. (love it!)
i buy jewelry here and sell it in the states. i have wholesaled other products from china to stores in the states, but never pearls. i do a lot of fashion jewelry that i design myself that have pearls IN them, but not a lot of pearl-only strands.
i found this forum as i was looking for info on how to choose quality pearls, etc. here is a link to a thread i started re: buying pearls in china:

https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=342

here is the thread i posted after visiting one of the places that jeremy suggested:

https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=342

this might be a helpful start for you!

erin