But then realize you are in a giant shopping center for gems and jewelry and your credit card is itching in your handbag.
I like to walk through all the vendor booths first, and take a card to write down the booth number of those I want to return to. I put either the letter "B" or "P" on the card, indicating if my interest is Business or Personal. Because, yes, I usually buy several items for myself.
The only "P" I wanted to return to was selling fabric material items from India, and I love their dresses and tops. But I didn't buy any because the seller knew they were for personal use, not a package of 6 for reselling, so he made the price of one item triple of what one would be. He lost about $100 of sales from me, because I didn't buy anything from him.
At the last show, a woman was working the booth, and she sold me several dresses and tops at good prices. Ah, well....it's a trade show, not my personal shopping center.
I found five booths that sold jadeite, or Chinese jade. I was shocked at the price, because it was at least three times higher than the prices they had listed at their previous show. The cost of jadeite pendants wholesale was what they sell for on Jade Heaven your price. And they weren't the older jadeite, they were newer jadeite pieces that are legally still under import embargo, and the stone didn't look very nice. It wasn't the fine grain as the older ones on JH. One seller had nice jadeite that she told me was older, prior to the embargo and even when I offered to buy all of it, she wouldn't "bargain" for a lower price, and I that was OK with me because I really didn't want it, just thought I should get it.
So I didn't buy any jade or jadeite.
I looked at pearls, because on YYJ the price for a strand with clasp is $38, and the wholesale price for a 15" string to make jewelry with was more than that, so I'm debating about the price I have listed for pearl necklaces and earrings. I noticed the trend of pearls being higher priced now when I was on the February cruise and shopping in ports. Pearls are becoming more popular now. The quality of the pearls at the show were not as good as the ones I bought in the Pearl Market in Beijing years ago. I really like pearls. The white pearls especially, for the qi energy. I wear a mother of pearl flower with a white pearl in the middle necklace during allergy season, for lung health.
The other gem stones I looked for were to add the the jade yoni eggs to make a Chakra set with them for healing Chakra balance. A jewelry maker wire wraps them for me to sell with the three egg set. I looked for quartz crystal, clear and lavender, and other Chakra gem stones but the only string I found that was natural quartz crystal was $120 for a small string.
It's the first time I went to this show and came home empty handed, except for a parking receipt of $7. And disappointed because this is my birthday month and I was looking for a splurge, maybe emerald and 18K gold "something".
I contacted my jade associate in southern China and asked about the price of jadeite pendants like I have purchased from him in the past. He told me that the price of jadeite has indeed increased because of rarity of the good quality, and the jade carvers who do detailed beautiful pendant carving have dropped out of the field because of the lack of availability of jadeite stone, so they have to find other work now. I'm still in the process of packing up all the jade in my inventory to take to storage when our home gets demolished June 1, and replaced with a new one because of the storm damage. I have a small box with older jadeite pendants, and decided to list some of them at very low prices, what my receipts shows I paid for them, just to give you true jade lovers a chance to buy some at a good price this weekend. They are very nice to wear, and will increase in value as the jadeite situation continues.
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| Monkey Protects Peach Jadeite Pendant JHP126 |
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| Slender Elegant Guan Yin Buddha of Compassion Jadeite Pendant JHP127 |
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| Small "Pixiu Protect" Carving Jadeite Pendant JHP128 |
Pretty helpful information on the trends of gemstone trade show. Last month, booked one of the exemplary event venues Chicago and arranged my best friend’s company show there. Many delegates attended this event and liked the decorations there.
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