It's been a busy couple of days here in Hong Kong. With meetings, dinners and some unexpected technical difficulties(long story), this report is actually coming out a day late -- forgive me.
As is always the case, day 1 of the show is a bit crazy. Instead of fighting the initial crowds in the early morning, we usually take the first half of the day to get a "lay of the land". We'll try and walk the entire pearl hall(it's huge), saying hi to friends and trying to get a feel for for the current pricing.
Holy Grail Ripple Pearls
One of my personal favorite pearls to source are what I've dubbed the "Holy Grail Ripples". These are LARGE, impossibly colorful(natural) pearls, with metallic luster and beautiful organic rippled texture. If ever there was a strand of pearls that would get noticed in a crowd, these are it. They're also incredibly difficult to photograph, but my wife Alana was able to capture the true beauty and color of one of the three strands I was able to source.
Graduated White Freshwater "Edison" Pearl Necklace
These pearls are China's answer to the queen of gems, the South Sea pearl. South Sea pearl farmers from Indonesia to Australia feel understandably nervous about their existence. After searching the entire gem show for this strand, I can confidently say there was only a single strand like this available, but if China cracks the code and starts producing these consistently, the South Sea farmers will not be happy.
Large Blue South Sea Pearls
Another favorite of mine are these big natural blue South Sea pearls, there's just something so special about them. As with most the pearls I source, these are exceptionally rare, and you're not likely to see them anywhere else. Lucky for me(and POJ customers), I have a very good friend who deals in South Sea pearls and he put aside these really special blue pearls for me to select from.
Fancy Two-Tone South Sea Pearls
These are special... "Fancy" two-tone baroque South Sea Pearls. As if silver blue baroques were not rare enough, these have flashes of gold and greens as well. I've seen one or two pearls like this in the past, but never a full lot of large AAA grade pearls. The amount of pearls needed to make a lot of pearls like this is staggering. Being a new item I resisted the temptation to purchase the entire lot, instead opting to cherry pick out a handful with the best shape, surface and luster.
Well... That's it for day 1. If you enjoyed the pictures, please leave a comment below. We can't reply to every comment, but I know Alana(photographer) really loves reading all your feedback.
