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September 2015 Hong Kong Gem Show - [DAY 1]

And we're back....!

After missing the June Hong Kong show it feels good to touch down in Hong Kong for another pearl buying adventure.

(In June we got married and spent our honeymoon drinking wine and eating grilled octopus in the Greek islands -- don't feel too bad for us.)


The throngs of people, the bumper to bumper traffic, the "unusual" smells -- heck even the jet lag was welcome(sick I know).

It all combines into that familiar feeling we get before we start each of our pearl buying trips.

These trips are short, intense and action packed. Between the pearl buying at day, the dinner and drinks at night and waking up at 6:00am to write my daily blogs, there is no rest on these trips.

But we wouldn't have it any other way, we love it!


On to the show.....

Admittedly day one was a difficult one. Sometimes you're pearl buying, sometimes you're just pearl hunting.

I spent a lot of time chasing leads...

...and at times my own tail.

But that's the nature of the beast. And half the fun of this whole game.

For me day of these events is usually about getting the lay of the land, visiting with old friends and comparing prices.

 

And Now The Pics...

One of our favorite suppliers saw us walk in and walked us over to their case...

"Mr. Kevin -- we have something very special to show you."

And she was right...




a strand of flawless deep purple Edison pearls

The strand above is a flawless deep purple "Edison" pearl necklace. Most the world doesn't know it yet, but this IS the future of freshwater pearl production in China. Phenomenal.

Electric Souffle Pearls...

I didn't find as many souffle pearls as I needed (I'm told souffle pearl production is down this year).

That said I can't complain. After sifting through a lot of junk we found a handful of fantastic pearls. Not huge, but luster that looks positively electric -- about 220 volts give or take...

a bag of electric souffle pearls

a handful of silver Souffles with electric luster

four electric souffles

a single Souffle pearl with magnificent luster

Souffle pearls with colorful overtones

colorful Souffle pearl

a handful of beautiful Souffle pearls


Tahitian Pearl Hunt....

We spent a ton of time trying to find the perfect 16mm pearl for a custom piece I'm working on. The instructions were specific, 15.5 - 16mm and dark body color...

...should be simple right?

Yes and no.

16mm is a BIG Tahitian pearl. And if you just want a single pearl, you're gonna have to open your wallet...wide open.

We spent a good portion of the day looking for just the right pearl. And we found a lot of great ones, but not great prices.

So lots of looking, lots of hunting but ultimately we didn't pull the trigger -- yet.

big, dark Tahitian pearls

tray of large Tahitians

scrutinizing a tray of Tahitian pearls

measuring a Tahitian pearl

Tahitian pearl hunting

selecting from a tray of jumbo Tahitians


Edison Pearls...

Ming, bead nucleated or Edison. Doesn't matter what you call them, they are the future of pearl production in China. The prices are still high and the general public still doesn't know they exist -- but the best Edison pearls are show stoppers.

See if you can spot the one blueberry looking pearl - more of those please!

examining Edison pearls

white, deep purples, and a blueberry pearl

cluster of huge Edison pearls

rarecolored Edison pearls

looking over a tray of metallic pearls

white and purple Edison pearls

a group of rare Ming pearls

a collection of top grade Edison pearls

 

Well that's it for day one. If you enjoyed the pictures, leave a comment below and let us know. My wife Alana is working her buns off this trip. She won't admit it, but I know she gets a real kick out of reading the blog comments.

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