laartista

I'm pretty sure there are one or two that live there, can't remember who though. I'm looking for some info re: stone suppliers, the ones I get now in the States and Bali are coming from HK or India, but mostly HK, but of course I can't get the names. Was wondering if anyone who lives there knows of where to go or reputable places in general as I will be there for 4 days en route to Bali in April.

Thanks in advance

Kathie

Cicerone is the only Fodorite I know who lives in Hong Kong.

laartista

Thanks Kathie, maybe he'll/ she'll pipe in

Jaya

Cicerone has an email on her Profile too if she doesn't see this post.

Cicerone

Could you be a little more specific about what you mean by “stones”? Do you mean gemstones (precious and semi-precious), or glass or other beads for costume jewelery or actual quarry stones for sculpture? Some info below is on gemstomes/beads, but I am not in that business and really don’t know much and can’t vouch for the quality or reliability of any of the below.

I would suggest you contact the US Commercial Service, which is a department of each US embassy/ consulate. While their primary task is to promote US business abroad, they do provide advice on doing business in each country. Take a look at http://www.buyusa.gov/hongkong/en/. The US Commercial Services Dept for China has a website whch might also be helpful, see at http://www.buyusa.gov/china/en.

I would also suggest you contact the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong,as you may find wholesalers or exporters who are members and this may be a starting point. See http://www.amcham.org.hk/

There is also several jewelry exhbitions each year, see for example http://exhibitions.jewellerynetasia....t.asp?siteid=5 and http://www.hktdc.com/fair/hkjeweller...lery-Show.html. The latter fair is being held next week. I think you will find most everything listed at http://www.discoverhongkong.com/mice/eng/

There is a wholesale gem/bead area in Hung Hom, a district of Kowloon. This area is a warehouse district which houses all sorts of wholesalers and discounters. I have not been to the gemstone/bead ones, but have been to some others outlet shops in the various buildings over the years. The shops/offices are mostly open on weekdays, some are open Saturday mornings, but I would say to go on weekdays to be sure of finding the most open shops. None are open on Sundays. The streets to focus on are Man Yue Street, Hok Yuen Street and Ma Tau Wai Road; buildings you are looking for are Guardforce building and Kaiser Estates (this building has a number of clothing discount shops as well). Then read the building directories to find who is selling gemstones or beads (gem wholesalers may also sell beads). To get there, if you are coming from Hong Kong Island, my recco would be that you take the ferry from Central or Wan Chai to Hung Hom and then a taxi. If you are in Kowloon already, I would probably suggest a taxi assuming you are staying in the Nathan Road area of the tip of Kowloon. You could also take the MTR to the Hung Hom station and then a taxi. A taxi from any of these will take about 5-10 minutes and cost about HK$30-60. A public bus is possible, but you would most likely have to change, and then you don’t know the area once you get there (it is perfectly safe, just confusing). A map of this area is helpful, you hotel may have one, or the Hong Kong tourist office may have one. The Kaiser Estates building is often listed in guidebooks as a place for discount shopping, so you may find directions or a map in guidebooks. With these wholesalers, speaking Cantonese may help you get a better price, so you may want to have an interpreter. (I think you will find English spoken, but you may want to negotiate more in Cantonese or at least have an interpreter there so he/she can explain what is going on as necessary.)

The <i>bead and notions</i> market in the Shamshuipo district in Kowloon may be another place to look. Take the MTR to Shamshuipo station, go out Exit Door C (Apliu street). Walk straight ahead, cross one street, then turn left down Yu Chau Street. Most of the bead shops are on the right hand side of the road. I believe most of the shops are closed on Sundays.

The <i>Jade Market</i>, not too far from the Shamshuipo bead area, also has some stalls selling beads in addition to the “jade” on sale. I think this market is a lot of fun, as long as you don’t kid yourself that are buying great jade or pearls. It is not open at night, so go during the day. The Jade Market and Shanghai Street area a few blocks up and over from Nathan Road and the Jordan MTR. From the Jordan stop on the MTR, take Exit Door A, turn right out the exit, then right again onto Jordan Road and walk up Jordan (away from the harbour) about 5-6 blocks to Kansu Street and turn left, the market is down on the right a few blocks under a highway overpass, it looks like a shanty town.

You might also find loose stones/beads for sale in the “Lanes” in Central (Li Yuen East Street and Li Yuen West Street between Queens Road and Des Veoux Road, a block or two from the Central MTR station, exit Door A or B) There is a ton of costume jewelry on sale here, and I believe some of the shops sell stones/beads in bulk packages. (None of these are genuine.) You may also find some on Pottinger Street which is nearby.

laartista

OMG, Thanks Sooooooooo Much Cicerone!! You are an AWESOME wealth of info!! I should have been more specific in original post, I was speaking of semiprecious, faceted and cabochons, some bead strands but all semiprecious.

Have never been to Hong Kong but am taking 4-5 days there, looking more like 5 en route to Bali. Am looking at staying at the hop inn, don't know if you heard of it but am trying to keep travel costs on the low side when it comes to the business.

Thanks again for the info- I really appreciate you taking the time to type it all up.

filmwill

laartista, you're going back? when? hoping there's another great trip report in-store!

laartista

Hey film, yes going back, leave lax 7 april to HK leave HK on the 12th to Bali return 19 may, this will be my 3rd time in 15 months, was just ther for nov & part Dec. an exhausting trip but you know duty calls

Gotta sew stuff up before I set my roots in again in Italy!

Have a great time you will love Bali, it's really special!

Cicerone

<b>laartista</b> as you seem to want semiprecious, then you probably want to stick to the wholesalers in Hung Hom, as Shamshuipo and the Lanes are likely to be glass beads and other costume stuff, and the Jade Market will be fakes as far as I know. (If you really know your gemstones, then you may be able to tell; I don’t have that much expertise and so just assume it is fake in street markets.) But please be wary in Hung Hom. The chances of getting ripped off are simply enormous. While Hong Kong has a perfectly good court system and its law is based on English law principles (quite different from the PRC proper), the last thing you want to do is get involved with a long-distance law suit and spend good money after bad. I would only start with small orders. Ask for bank references and references from other customers and check on both. (Be prepared to give bank references as well on your end. If you are really serious about doing a lot of purchasing in Hong Kong, you might want to open trade account in US Dollars at a bank here, like HSBC. The also have branches in Milan and Rome, and you may have an easier time making payments using a global bank like HSBC.) This is where the American Chamber of Commerce or US Consulate may be helpful. Some links I found on the AmCham website are:

Hong Kong Jewelry and Jade Manufactures Association http://www.jewellery-hk.org/
Chinese Manufacturer’s Association, http://www.cma.org.hk/eng/firstpage.asp
and their listing of members under “Jewelry” http://www.cma.org.hk/eng/tradecenter/dsearch.asp
Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce http://www.chamber.org.hk/business_world_h.asp

The Hop Inn certainly looks interesting. Rooms appear to be almost claustrophobically small, but if you are by yourself you can probably handle it. (Even expensive hotels in Hong Kong can have rooms on the small side.) The location is in the middle of the main tourist hotel area, and is quiet safe, as is virtually all of Hong Kong. (Your biggest issue in such a budget hotel may be other guests, not street crime.) The area would not be my first choice for a place to stay just because it is loaded with tourists and the main sites are not in the area, but on a budget it probably is a good choice, esp. if you want to spend time in Hung Hom, which you can get to by taxi quickly and perhaps learn the bus route in a day or two. There are some cheap restaurants in the area, including Branto just around the corner from the Hop Inn, at 9-11 Lock Road (1st Floor), Indian pure veg.

mohan

You can go to the Hong Kong trade development Council website, type in the gem you are looking for, a list of company will pop up. I typed in amethyst and this is what I get:
http://www.hktdc.com/sourcing/produc...hyst&locale=en

filmwill

Perhaps a mini-GTG is in order for Ubud (if that's where you're staying again)? Since we're now going to miss the Nay gathering in Bali (now that we've moved our trip up), I'm currently without GTG.

We'll be in Ubud from the 10th to the 17th. We're game.

laartista

Thanks again Cicerone!! & Thanks Mohan! very much appreciate all these links.
Cicerone, yep, rooms look small but as never been to HK before I plan on spending about 7 hrs a day in that room, 6 for sleep 1 for shower and get ready

film- actually not sure where i'm staying yet, i've become somewhat of a fly by my pants traveler. i'm looking at an apartment down south near Legion and a small house by krobakan (sp) but nothing secure yet. As much as I love, love, love Ubud, it does not like me for extended stays, my allergies act up fierce after a few days.That said I'll be def heading up taht way so yeah for a mini gtg somewhere in window of 14-17, unless you guys will be down around the south beaches at all. lmk- it'll be fun