What do I think about these 13-15 mm FW?

[KarinK]

Hi,

The fair was the official Jewelry Fair that takes place in Copenhagen every year in August. Last I happened to get a free ticket. This year I got my friends free ticket. Here in Copenhagen it is a fair dedicated for jewelry designers to sell their creations to the jewelry shops and I was surprised last year that you could actually buy beads at the fair. There aren't many booths where you can buy stuff but there are a few. I have mostly used the fair to practice my knowledge of recognizing gems as I have a great interest in gemology as well, and there are several gem sellers as well.

This summer my family and I went to a gem fair near San Francisco and that was very different. It was an open-for-all fair with tons of bead strands for sale and only a few regular jewlery booths.

It is my experience that vendors such as the one where I got these pearls say "wholesale" and ask for a VAT number (in the US it would be a license but at least in Scandinavia it is just a company/VAT number) never check it. At times my VAT number has been closed but I have had no problem using it for wholesale websites as long as the address checks out. In Denmark anyone can get a VAT number for a one-man company. You are welcome to PM me if you want to know more about how it works in Denmark. It could be the same in Sweden.

Pictures!




- Karin

 

[Nerida]

The major trade fairs here are strictly trade-only. Not only do you need an ABN (business number), but documented evidence of buying and selling within the industry in the current timeframe, plus references to be available from both suppliers and customers if required. This goes for our gift fairs as well as the jeweller's fairs. There are bead shows which are open to the public, but my pricing would be very different if I were to exhibit there. The jeweller's fair also requires photo ID at every entry and exit. The HK fair is easier to get into than the Aus one.

 

[KarinK]

I finally finished the necklace. It was an awful wait for the bronze clasp and the french wire that I found out in the beading section that I really needed to have. Then I was trying to knot with two strings - another must from the beading section - and at first I got a headache at every single knot. Finally, after about 5-6 pearls (and equal number of headaches) I figured it out and I am really happy with the result. I even got thumbs up from my friend who was trained by her two jewler uncles. She said they would have been proud of me

Personally I am very happy with the edge that the necklace gets from the oversized copper clasp.

Now I just need to figure out how to post pictures in this forum... (rats, you're stuck with Imageshack for now...)











- Karin

 

[pattye]

Karin,

Oh, so glamorous! Totally love it! Congrats!!

 

[GemGeek]

Excellent!

 

[lisa c]

Lovely, Karin!

Do I see some wound-gold trim or thread on the right in the background of pic #2? Do you also bead, or embroider? I'll have to peek at your profile. This is fun