Singapore Jewellery & Gem Fair 2013

[icy_jade]

Ladies, yes or no? Which one do you prefer?

 

[icy_jade]

Guess which ones I got?

 

[icy_jade]

Some more?

 

[dk168]

I am not a fan of multi-colour strands, and would have opted for the silver SSPs.

DK

 

[PearlGem]

I guess you got the white south sea strand.
How much is the multicolor rope? I love those.

 

[PearlGem]

After seeing you wearing your rope again on Oct 10, I wish to get a multicolor rope too.

 

[icy_jade]

Ok, before I go on about my loots from the Fair, some info in case you are interested to visit Singapore, AND take the opportunity to shop as well.

This is the inaugural Singapore Jewellery & Gem Fair, and is supposed to be the largest of its kind in Singapore. There are 283 exhibitors from 28 countries, and across all types of gems and jewellery.
http://singaporejewellerygemfair.com

So, initial impressions?

Well, enter the exhibition hall at Sands Expo & Convention Centre @ Marina Bay Sands, and you'll be greeted with loads of pavilions (those are the biggie exhibitors) and booths where you can find all sorts of jewellery and loose gems on sale. I saw nearly all varieties, from the usual diamonds (I had to run away!) to tanzanites, jadeite, rubies, emeralds, etc... and of course pearls.

While I had a media pass, unfortunately I still had to ask for permission to take photos and most exhibitors weren't that keen to have their wares photographed up-close cos of fear of design copies, etc. So unfortunately not so many eye candy for you folks. BUT... if I go back tmr I will try to get some pics to give general impressions k?

Anyway, very dazzling initially. But still fairly manageable compared to what I hear about the Hong Kong shows.

The crowd is a mix of jewellery business folks and tai-tais (aka "ladies who lunch"?).

As for pearls, well there is a mix of SSPs and tahitians, with some Japanese exhibitors also bring along their akoyas. Mix of quality and shapes. But since I had a fairly specific idea of what I wanted (or so I thought), it wasn't long before I zoomed in on one exhibitor that had what I wanted...

Oh ya, nearly forgot, here is the exhibitor list: http://singaporejewellerygemfair.com/visitor/list



 

[icy_jade]

@dk and pearlgem: the answer is 'neither'!.

LOL, that was a bit of decoy with the neck shots. Actually I hesitated over both strands cos I didn't love them enough, if you know what I mean, despite the sales lady at Golay oohing over how lovely the mixed strand looked on me. So in the end, I went with my guts and not my head i.e. buy what I loved rather than the 'good value for money' items.

This shopping session also confirmed that...
- silver wSSPs suit me much better than other shades (like pink)
- champagne SSPs are soooo not my cup of tea
- I like baroque SSPs over round ones
- I still dunno how to pick tahitian studs/colours other than holding them against my ear lobes (LOL!). And boy, the colours make such a HUGE difference.
- I am super sensitive to lustre.

In other words, I still have LOADS to learn about buying pearls!

And... finally my loots:

My own 'harvest strand' inspired by Fly Girl and MsKC, and loose pearls for a tahitian drop earrings, tahitian stud earrings, golden SSP drops for earrings and golden oval SSP for pendant:



Still unstrung, but I will bring to Golay for stringing after the Fair. Haven't decided how to string this one yet, any suggestions?


Oh ya, non-light box shot for comparison:

 

[icy_jade]

Ok, more shots!

Some close-ups of my 'harvest strand':








And against my other 2 ropes:

 

[bsomlo]

Your new rope is gorgeous!!! I have to say, I liked #1 and #2 teaser pictures, too. With #1 being my favorite.

How long were you there? How long did it take to pick what you really wanted? (Are we talking minutes, hours, days?)

 

[icy_jade]

Ok, and the loose pearls.

As you can see from one of the earlier shots, I shortlisted a bunch of studs and slowly whittled down to the single pair that I eventually got. There were a few others that I liked, but if I get them all at a go, where is the fun in shopping next time right?

And the drops are just a fun affordable ones (plus they matched the 'harvest strand'). Didn't realise how big they were until I compared them against my peacock drops. They are even bigger!



Not obvious that my new studs and drops are much bigger than my current ones cos those are 'lifted up' higher and so appear bigger.




And my lovely goldens with reddish overtone. I actually saw the big one and fell in love. And then I MUST find matching earrings right? Unfortunately they didn't have matching bigger studs in the same overtone. So nevermind, some drops then, and I already know what I want to do with them. Honestly didn't expect to fall in love with goldens at this fair cos Jewelmer didn't exhibit. But hey, it's fate ya?



P.S. Placed the right stud slanted in my excitement.

 

[icy_jade]

Your new rope is gorgeous!!! I have to say, I liked #1 and #2 teaser pictures, too. With #1 being my favorite.

How long were you there? How long did it take to pick what you really wanted? (Are we talking minutes, hours, days?)

Erm, overall in hours???

Actually, the harvest rope was in minutes, the earrings took a while to whittle down, the golden SSP pendant in seconds, and then a search for the earrings. And then a cooling down period of about 30 min (while I took a loo break and went for coffee) and then finally to buy.

 

[Pattye]

Icy Jade,

Thank you so much for sharing your marvelous shopping experience and amazing loot with us!

 

[icy_jade]

Btw, some of the pics are showing colour graduated tahitian strands. Think the graduation isn't as nice as my strand, but I AM biased of course.

Also only found one strand of highly circled pearls but they were not as colourful as I'd hope so had to walk away. Hopefully no regrets. Just have to remind myself that I didn't love them at first sight.

Most of the exhibitors had round strands. Found another exhibitor with pastel baroques but just didn't quite feel for them. They also had necklaces with mixed pearls and golden beads that were quite something. Kinda gaudy yet very eye-catching. Very tempting to buy.

Icy Jade,

Thank you so much for sharing your marvelous shopping experience and amazing loot with us!

Think I am going back tmr! Do wish I had brought along my lightbox! Actually wasn't quite sure what colour my tahitians were until I got home. Nerve-wrecking or what?

Now busy looking at golden SSP settings and thinking how to strand my new tahitians. Even if I don't buy anything tmr, I think this is a good weekend.

Oh ya, and this was worth the long wait/dry spell/cold turkey.

 

[YC]

Hi, this is my first post on PS. Been following the pearl forum for months but never posted.
I am from Singapore and LOVE pearls & this post interests me greatly.
Simply because I am currently shopping for a Tahitian strand and it is very difficult to buy Tahitians without seeing the item in real life ie online.
Icy Jade, apart from Golay, were there other tahitian pearl vendors? And how different is the pricing compared with the usual recommended online shops and the b&m shops in Singapore? By the way, the pearls you posted are all gorgeous. Thanks in advance

 

[bsomlo]

I'm glad it was worth your (not-very-long-and-still-sprinkled-with-pearls) "wait/dry spell/cold turkey"!

 

[icy_jade]

Hi, this is my first post on PS. Been following the pearl forum for months but never posted.
I am from Singapore and LOVE pearls & this post interests me greatly.
Simply because I am currently shopping for a Tahitian strand and it is very difficult to buy Tahitians without seeing the item in real life ie online.
Icy Jade, apart from Golay, were there other tahitian pearl vendors? And how different is the pricing compared with the usual recommended online shops and the b&m shops in Singapore? By the way, the pearls you posted are all gorgeous. Thanks in advance

Hmm... shopping IRL is quite different from buying online. Pls go to the fair and go SOON! At least from Golay I heard there'll be no re-stock, and probably the same for the others. First come first serve!

Pricing I would say (does quick check of 11-12mm tahitian studs online...) cheaper esp if you add intl shipping and then GST... B&M in SG is usually quite expensive ya? But I haven't seen any decent ones in SG really, pls let me know if you have any recommendations.

Apart from Golay, these are the ones that I remember... Shinyu (1507), and then one that is near Shinyu but further on the left corner of the hall (16xx or 15xx), Eiko (615) and Nanyo (622)(this one had roaring business with tai-tais). There are others scattered all over but didn't leave a deep impression on me. Depends on what you like. I like baroques, so I really like Golay. They had strands 'with character'. Other stores had loads of perfectly well matched round strands. Not for me, but certainly many who prefer those.

 

[icy_jade]

I'm glad it was worth your (not-very-long-and-still-sprinkled-with-pearls) "wait/dry spell/cold turkey"!

Not very long??? It felt like FOREVER. I swear it did.



Ok, the golden pearl alone was worth it. Completely in love with that pearl.



Edit: Oops, the pic is outta focus. But colours are still so nice huh?

 

[bsomlo]

Icy -- did you haggle regarding the prices? If so, how much of a discount from the "original" price can one expect? If you negotiated, I'd love to hear the stories.

 

[icy_jade]

Icy -- did you haggle regarding the prices? If so, how much of a discount from the "original" price can one expect? If you negotiated, I'd love to hear the stories.

They automatically give a steep discount. And honestly I didn't haggle very much after that. I'm not great at pricing.

Tried but failed to get more discount by paying entirely in cash cos my ATM limit for the day was maxed out, LOL.

 

[YC]

Icy Jade,
Thanks for your prompt reply. I too want to dash down to the fair.... if I could. Work and kids commitments prevents me from doing so until Tuesday which is the last day of the fair but that would be too late, I think. The nicest would have been snapped up
I have been buying pearls for some years and I find Tahitians are very difficult to purchase without having seen the real thing. I used to buy my pearls from a B&M shop specialising in pearls but the prices had become so expensive in recent years that I have stopped buying from them (hence I would not recommend buying from them) until I discovered online shops.
By the way I love the colour of your round Tahitians. Gorgeous pair...... and I noticed that all you chose have great luster too. Good choice!

 

[YC]

One of the other vendors which I am interested in are the ones selling natural pearls - think called "sea treasures" and "Bialonczyk". Maybe not to buy but just to admire the pearls. I suspect their pieces will cost a small fortune.

 

[icy_jade]

Icy Jade,
Thanks for your prompt reply. I too want to dash down to the fair.... if I could. Work and kids commitments prevents me from doing so until Tuesday which is the last day of the fair but that would be too late, I think. The nicest would have been snapped up
I have been buying pearls for some years and I find Tahitians are very difficult to purchase without having seen the real thing. I used to buy my pearls from a B&M shop specialising in pearls but the prices had become so expensive in recent years that I have stopped buying from them (hence I would not recommend buying from them) until I discovered online shops.
By the way I love the colour of your round Tahitians. Gorgeous pair...... and I noticed that all you chose have great luster too. Good choice!

Thanks! Mmm... what are you looking for?

So far all the stores I have been to say I have a good 'eye' for picking pearls. Or maybe they say that to all customers, haha. But I do find that I am only attracted to pearls with good lustre. Today's shopping session proves that... cos I really couldn't bring myself to buy the bigger strands that had poorer lustre but were at a good price.

The soon-to-be studs are great on my typical Chinese skin (think these are cherries?).
The darker colours are awful on me, including peacocks, blues, dark purples, dark greens, etc... that's all I know after all of 4 real life shopping trips.

Btw where else do you buy other pearl types from? Oh and please share your collection with us! Sounds like you have quite a stash!

 

[icy_jade]

One of the other vendors which I am interested in are the ones selling natural pearls - think called "sea treasures" and "Bialonczyk". Maybe not to buy but just to admire the pearls. I suspect their pieces will cost a small fortune.

Oh ya! In the Exquisite Pavilions they have an exhibitor that have couch pearls, but I can't recall the name.

And I remember Sea Treasures and its natural pearls. I didn't even bother to check the price. Honestly many of the FWPs look better, and I am guessing that those naturals are for the rich/collectors who appreciate their rarity.

I was on the lookout for FWPs, esp Edisons but nothing that really stood out. There was this super 'atas' (aka local slang for uppity) exhibitor who carried Edisons. But I gave their wares a skip after a quick conversation where they obviously eyed me and thought that I couldn't afford their wares. So what if my typical shopping attire is jewellery-free (so that I can more easily try on earrings and necklaces DUH!!) and in sneakers (hey, shopping is hell for the feet k?).

Ahem. Angry rant over. It's a pavilion that is highly visible from the front entrance btw. Quite easy to guess which exhibitor if you have the map.

 

[HHPmom]

Wow what a loot. They are so pretty and lustrous. Love the golden pearls the most and the harvest strand. Congratulations. It sure was worth the wait.

 

[JaneSmith]

I love everything you bought, and am super envious that you can go to this show!

 

[icy_jade]

@HHPmom & @Janesmith: Thanks! A real life pearl shopping day is a happy day!


Btw, aside from my rant on that one uppity exhibitor, I want to add that service at Golay is fantastic. I took hours to select my pearls and went thru trays and trays of pearls but they were super patient thru'out. Many thanks to the lovely Mr and Mrs Theodore Panos (Mrs Panos has a GREAT eye!! Haha, love having her discreetly nod or shake at head at my choices in the background, haha), and to Ms Bernadette Nunis who almost missed her lunch cos of me (oops). If you go to the booth you will probably see them I think. I am looking forward to working with Mr Panos to have my strand stringed and earrings done. They even have mystery clasps!

Happy or what?

Oh and maybe can buy in Malaysia when I visit KL cos they have branch in KL. Maybe can save on GST (goods and services tax) or just get a lovely Malaysian souvenir right?

YC: In case you can't go to the Fair, Golay's contact is on the website (but I think they are wholesalers and not really retailers):
http://www.golaysingapore.com

 

[4Ranch Girl]

Thank you so much for sharring your wonderful shopping experience. Love looking at all of your pictures. It makes it special for us here. The pearls you finally chose are beautiful. It is good you have learned that luster is important in choosing pearls.

 

[LitGeek]

Oh icy your new pearls are FABULOUS What a treat to find those beautiful goldens just sitting there waiting for you Your new Tahitian strand is SO pretty and I love that it looks very different from your other two ~ great choice and as the others have already said they (and your other pearls) are so lustrous Looking forward to seeing your earrings/pendant set and your strand strung

So sorry you had a bad experience with the uppity booth I have to say I worked my way through college as a sales associate at a high-end clothing retail store and I learned fairly quickly (we worked on commission) that the serious shoppers were usually dressed in very casual comfy clothes with little jewelry...the uppity ladies rarely did serious buying (of course their were exceptions) and had high return rates. I never dress to the nines to shop unless I am just browsing

Thanks so much for the photos and details of your shopping trip

 

[LitGeek]

...and I would have bought that lovely wSS short strand but I would have had to think on it and looked everywhere to make sure that was the ONE and then it would have been sold to someone else I take it these shows are not for the have to "think and think and think" decision makers like me