Differing prices of gemstones

[Wallace]

Ooooooh Wallace I am worryingly addicted to opals of late and have bought .... well let's just say probably too many of the Ethiopian types, which just fascinate me, luckily I have, I think been getting them for what seems to me really good prices.

Here is a pic of a couple I got not so long ago:


opals by kwant, on Flickr


not the easiest of things to take photos of but they are absolute beauties.

oh my word - how did I miss these beauties? right, off to get a new mortgage quote! lol

[wheely]

Oooo kwant they are pretty!

[pearlescence]

With experience as a seller (of pearls only) I can throw in that quality and price depend to some extent on where the seller sources from. I schlep out to Hong Kong to buy in person and go the rounds of suppliers selecting strands and individual pearls, spending sometimes a day in each office, tottering out half frazzled after about five or six hours selecting and then haggling. So, yes, there is the cost of getting there and staying but against that my pearls are the very best possible quality at the best prices
I also have a small stock of gemstone beads and I know that quality and colouration varied massively when I was selecting.
Even the best suppliers sending regularly will never match a buyer selecting in person at wholesale level