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Post by kk on Jul 9, 2016 9:27:31 GMT -5
Hi there, I'm in China and just back from for me now a yearly trip to Hualin in Guanzhou (still got 5 more day to work here before going home. This market never seizes to fascinate. Building one of four with about a thousand shops under one roof. Real, fake or manmade, ptetty much any bead you can imagine in here. Amber seems to be still very popular, but ask for some of that stunning beautiful blue in the rough, and you are quickly shooed away (good guess that that stuff is not real. Hallo Ebay!). Also, Laimar seems to be just about everywhere. Did they find a way to manufacture that thing now? After a quick look around for some chatoyant stuff I found here 3 years ago (and welcome air-condition to cool down), onwards to my real target of the day, the jade-markets for multicolored nephrite and agate. Thousands of small shops. You better know what you are looking for, and all the tricks of the trade, before parting with money here. Lets keep this post to the site today, and my haul to another post. One thing I learned today is that the majority of agates here are from Madagascar. That includes, what I believed in the past to be my favorites of Montana agates. Not so, it turns out, all that stuff is Madagascar. Tons of it, perfectly polished, and on the cheap. Even at two inches with huge mosses in it, they barely cost 15$ without haggling. As I was looking for two-tone jade and agates, naturally, I came across a fascinating array of carvings. The skills that are needed to work the layers that well is simply mind-boggling. To me at least. Agate in front, nephrite in back (not soapstone, I checked) Agates Jaspers I thought the big one to be soapstone, but after looking at them close up, it must be jasper as the small one has exactly the same colour/texture but with agate underneath, so its not soapstone. Lingered around specific shops for quite a while,..... Not because they had something I would buy, but because of a smell that reminded me so much of my fathers workplace as we grew up. Sandalwood shops. Using sandalwood and other strong smelling wood for beads, carvings and incense. One thing remaining: Wishlist for next visit, next year: No clue what it is, but I want the rough version of that thing. Thanks for looking, Kurt
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deedolce
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2006
Posts: 1,828
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Post by deedolce on Jul 9, 2016 12:05:53 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing! Pretty fascinating to me, being part of the world I'm never planning to go to~
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Post by kk on Jul 9, 2016 18:16:05 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing! Pretty fascinating to me, being part of the world I'm never planning to go to~ Thats just one market in one smaller city. Despite of all the negatives from over here, there is lots to see in regards to culture and nature throughout the land. I enjoy being the only outsider amidst a sea of locals, knowing the relative safety that does exist around here.
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wampidytoo
has rocks in the head
Add 5016 to my post count.
Member since June 2013
Posts: 709
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Post by wampidytoo on Jul 10, 2016 6:36:49 GMT -5
Great post Kurt. I did not see anything similar to this when I was in Nanning China but I would love to make that trip with you.
I did not have fear at any place I went and I almost always traveled alone. I did take extra precautions with my wallet though because I was told that the pick pockets are very skilled plus the will power to not buy a lot of the gorgeous carvings has to be strong or the wallet is soon empty.
Looking forward to seeing your new possessions. Jim
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Post by Garage Rocker on Jul 10, 2016 9:53:14 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing! Pretty fascinating to me, being part of the world I'm never planning to go to~ Thats just one market in one smaller city. Despite of all the negatives from over here, there is lots to see in regards to culture and nature throughout the land. I enjoy being the only outsider amidst a sea of locals, knowing the relative safety that does exist around here. Lots of cool stuff to look at, I imagine hours could easily be consumed in a place like that. That feeling of being the 'outsider' is interesting. I was an exchange student a couple times and found it challenging, but very educational. You will learn more than you ever would in a classroom. Still, it's a strange feeling being picked up and taken home by a family with whom you've never spoken, in a foreign country. Thanks for the post!
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Post by Garage Rocker on Jul 10, 2016 9:54:54 GMT -5
Oh, and those 'imitation' Montana's are sweet!
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Post by kk on Jul 10, 2016 10:07:03 GMT -5
Great post Kurt. I did not see anything similar to this when I was in Nanning China but I would love to make that trip with you. I did not have fear at any place I went and I almost always traveled alone. I did take extra precautions with my wallet though because I was told that the pick pockets are very skilled plus the will power to not buy a lot of the gorgeous carvings has to be strong or the wallet is soon empty. Looking forward to seeing your new possessions. Jim The three main parts are near Shanhai, Guangzhou and anywhere near to the Burmese border. Thats where all the factories are located. Security: yes we have the usual ills of society, but overall I have never had reason to fear about personal safety on any of my visits to China. As long as you keep your wits and commonsense etiquette, its unlikely that you become a target. No different to any new place that one visits in the world. Years ago, I set a maximum budget for single stone purchases. That often leads to seemingly missing out on possible candies, but on the other hand ensues a budget that suffices for the hobby and keeps losses in disappointments to a reasonable limit. It also helps, that by now, I go in there whit a specific wishlist. Find those first, and then choose if something else gets your interest. This time it was very helpful, that the main-stone I was looking for came in at 40% of what I had budgeted. So three other stones fit nicely into the budget set for that one. By the end of the day, those are things I really want, yet do not have to have it.
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Post by kk on Jul 10, 2016 10:13:52 GMT -5
Lots of cool stuff to look at, I imagine hours could easily be consumed in a place like that. That feeling of being the 'outsider' is interesting. I was an exchange student a couple times and found it challenging, but very educational. You will learn more than you ever would in a classroom. Still, it's a strange feeling being picked up and taken home by a family with whom you've never spoken, in a foreign country. Thanks for the post! I have been a relative outsider for a long while, so its just a matter of getting used to I suppose. Home-visits? that sounds like Mediterranean, Hispanic or North African cultures, but in general, pretty much every culture around the world outside cities will allow you those courtesies.
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Erich
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2015
Posts: 411
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Post by Erich on Jul 10, 2016 13:24:56 GMT -5
How nice to be able to travel to China and explore the markets there.
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Post by kk on Jul 10, 2016 18:46:49 GMT -5
How nice to be able to travel to China and explore the markets there. Sie haben ebenso sehr gute quellen in der Nachbarschaft. Finde Deutsche, Ungarishe und Tuerkische Achate sehr interressant. Tuerkei und Marocco haben ebenso sehr viel anderes Material das Fantastisch fuer dieses Hobby geeignet ist. Werd jetzt dehmnechst Oesterreichischen Magnesit bekommen und probieren. Hab verpasst letztes Jahr mir welchen zu besorgen als Ich an der Quelle in der Steiermark war.
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Post by mohs on Jul 10, 2016 18:58:01 GMT -5
thanks for posting that Kurt
I hate to get political
But
wait for it
China ROCKS !
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es355lucille
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2016
Posts: 194
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Post by es355lucille on Jul 10, 2016 22:21:51 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing. That's a place we will visit someday. There are some really amazing places to see in China.
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Erich
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2015
Posts: 411
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Post by Erich on Jul 11, 2016 5:56:07 GMT -5
KK; Vielen Dank für Ihre Antwort, aber wo ich in Süd- Florida leben dort ist nur Sand und Kalkstein , und man kann mit ihm nicht viel zu tun , ich Ihre relativ einfachen Zugang zu den feinen Materialien Neid gefunden werden, wo Sie unterwegs sind.
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Post by kk on Jul 11, 2016 7:11:55 GMT -5
Ohh OK, I thought German is your first language looking at your baseline there..... Yep, Florida is certainly not that easy in this hobby. Hong Kong is pretty much the same, nothing but chert and granite. Lucky for me, I don't need much, those six pieces will last me for at least a half a year, if not longer.
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rockymom
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2015
Posts: 118
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Post by rockymom on Jul 11, 2016 8:06:57 GMT -5
KK, I have so many questions. What took you you to China? Do live in Hong Kong? How do you have such restraint to only buy SIX pieces of rock? Did you tour a factory? Do you have more pictures to post?
I love traveling but have a family now so I have to live vicariously through others. Thank you for posting, it let me know that my wanderlust is not completely dead.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,687
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Post by Fossilman on Jul 11, 2016 9:09:10 GMT -5
KK,thank you for sharing the stories and photos.....
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Post by kk on Jul 11, 2016 10:00:28 GMT -5
KK, I have so many questions. What took you you to China? Do live in Hong Kong? How do you have such restraint to only buy SIX pieces of rock? Did you tour a factory? Do you have more pictures to post? I love traveling but have a family now so I have to live vicariously through others. Thank you for posting, it let me know that my wanderlust is not completely dead. I'm one of the lucky ones, my work in hospitality took me around the world several times over, more or less right out of school. Settled in Hong Kong and then traveled a lot as tour-guide throughout Asia for quite a while. So I consider myself very lucky, having seen quite a large part of the world, yet never paid for it. These days, life is much quieter, right now I'm just in Guangzhou, a city about a 100 miles north of Hong Kong. So similar, yet completely different. But again, I'm here on someone-elses purse, as I work as teacher holding a two week English program here at a school. For me, cutting and polish is just a hobby, so over the years I have gotten material that would last me at least 10 years if nothing new is added. The only things that I do add, are new things that I really would like to try, like the coral and amber of the past few months. Long ago, I set myself a budget per individual stone, and have learned to stick with it. This time I really wanted two stones, and knew the approximate estimated cost. So I budgeted that, and took little more than that with me into the markets. The main piece (the black skinned one) was unexpectedly low priced, that allowed for other purchases to take place. As said, its a hobby, and I do not sell, so I definitely want those things, but do not have to have them. Even if I would have returned empty handed (like that's ever going to happen ) I got material at home that would let me forget the pursuit till next time. Factories are tourist traps all over the planet, I have been a tour-guide long enough to know how those visits work. And getting into real factories, you need to be able to deal in quantity. Nevertheless, I collected a few name-cards, and have one guys promise, that if I call next time two days ahead, he will have a few rough pieces for me to choose from at the shop. So something to look forward to, and practice toward for the year. Im afraid, I did not take too many pics this time round. The only others that I have from the markets are the stone I bought. You can find the post here: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/75493/loot-year Will put up another post unrelated to stones up by the end of the week, regarding the school and what we did.
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