Divine Planet
Hip Imports and Tropical Flair

Kapaa Town: 821-1835
Kukui Grove Center: 246-3535

Watermelon Tourmaline has a rich combination of rubies and greens. We've got some in stock ranging from $3.50 to $5.00

New Arrivals from Around the Planet
I'd like to start out with an apology. It's the middle of February and I am just getting this "monthly" newsletter out. If you received our inaugural html newsletter in December, you may or may not have noticed that the January and February emails were updated versions of our simple text format newsletters. I do apologize for not being more consistent with what I hope will be something you find useful and entertaining.

In January I traveled to Thailand, Laos and India on a buying trip. It was a very productive journey. Some of the products I bought have already arrived, but a substantial portion will be trickling in over the next couple of months. We have a large shipment of textiles (bedspreads, duvets, table covers, curtains, etc.) that arrived at the dock today (Feb. 17).

On February 2nd I traveled to Tucson for the annual Tucson Gem and Mineral show. Below you will find a review I have written regarding this year's show. It is always a whirlwind, and I usually spend more than I intended. This trip was no exception!

I would like to invite you to visit our stores to see the new pieces I have brought in. This year I specifically looked for higher end beads and supplies in addition to the standard fare we usually stock.

Some of the new items include tourmaline slices, black diamond beads, faceted cubic zircon beads, lots of ametrine in different shapes, a tidal wave of really nice turquoise, fresh stock of coin pearls at really good prices, larimar, ruby briolettes and chunks, sapphires, chrysoprase, amazonite, peruvian opal, and the list continues. I feel like I got some pretty good deals, and the feedback so far has been great.

What's really great about the Tucson event is that regardless of what you need from across the gem and mineral spectrum, odds are you can find it here. Big manufacturers from India and China come to the show to buy rough gemstones for their production in the upcoming year. Vendors from China, Brazil, South Africa, Morocco, Madagascar, Russia and Mexico ship in literally tons of rough stones for resale and ship it out in 55 gallon drums. One large Indian manufacturer I know buys three 20' containers filled with rough to ship back to Jaipur for cutting and setting.

There is also a wide range of finished jewelry available of varying qualities and price points. Silver is everywhere as Indian companies flock to this Mecca of metalsmithing hoping to move hundreds of kilos and open new markets. What often happens is that they discover the bitter truth: the competition among vendors is fierce and profits are elusive. Prices are low for high-volume buyers, often just pennies above the cost to produce the goods. Each year I see new Indian vendors come to the show full of high hopes only to go home with little to show after expensive travel, hotel and booth costs.

One of my suppliers from India pointed out an interesting fact to me last year. He said "look around, who is running all the booths now?" The answer was clearly Indians and Chinese manufacturers come to move their goods in the West. This has created something of a psychology of discriminatory buying. I have heard from many other buyers that if they see a Western face, as opposed to an Indian or Chinese, they figure the price can't be good and they move on without stopping. I must admit, my first reaction when I see an American vendor is that they are probably not worth the time because they add the cost of the middle man. When I exhibited there two years ago, one of my customers as much as told me the only reason he stopped was because of my Indian partner.

The main shows are well attended, with the Holidome being an especially popular venue. This show is set up in two massive tents outside the Holiday Inn, and runs for just ten days as opposed two weeks for some of the other shows. The aisles are packed within an hour of opening. The crowd, while supposedly wholesale-only, consists as much of retail buyers as it does of business owners. This can add to the frustration level in the crowded conditions as business buyers have to work around the person looking to buy one or two pieces as early Christmas gifts.

What I love about the show is the sheer variety. A good example of this is the show at Rodeway Inn. The main tent had vendors selling silver jewelry, beads, findings in silver, gold vermeil and karat gold. There were booths selling Chinese pearls in strands, Italian Murano glass, Moroccan fossils, Indian silver, American handmade jewelry, African trade beads, Thai hill tribe beads and artifacts, Chinese carvings, Russian amber, and Persian carpets. Outside the main tent, there are stands selling mineral specimens, handicrafts, food and even clothing. I saw an Afghani vendor selling Afghan carpets with American tanks and fighter jets superimposed over a map of the country. My favorite is the "dollar tent." Mostly from Indonesia, this makes the dollar store in your town look positively boring.

This year I focusing mainly on beads and silver findings. If you look hard enough, there are deals to be found, but you must bargain hard. For buyers in bulk there is room to negotiate, but for those interested in Christmas gifts, good luck! It's a great experience for Americans to learn to bargain. Most of us don't like to haggle, which is what we dread most about buying a car. After buying in Asia for many years, I feel I have some insight into the mechanics of driving a bargain, but I will be the first to tell you that I do not have access the same pricing that Indians or Chinese buyers get in their home countries.

Every show it seems there is some new item or trend that is hot. This year rhodocrosite was everywhere. Kyanite, which has been showing up more and more over the last two years, could be found in many different colors, shapes and cuts. It also seemed like every other booth had spools and spools of silver and gold filled chain. Not sure why this was, but if you weren't careful you could easily pay way too much for it! Of course there were a kajillion booths selling silver jewelry with a vast array of themes and qualities.

One of the more interesting booths I found was a small one run by a guy I know from Bangkok. He has access to precious stones, and since he is from India originally he also has access to Indian jewelry manufacturing. I bought some of his ruby and silver jewelry. We have some in the stores and despite how it sounds, they are very reasonably priced.

Overall the show was an exhilarating look into the international world of gems and jewelry. There is a smaller show in September that gets mixed reviews, but if you have never been, mark your calendar now to visit Tucson during the first two weeks of February, 2007. It is an experience you won't soon forget!

Please let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions on what we can do to improve. We are always open to new ideas and constructive criticism.

Aloha,

Mike McGinnis
Divine Planet
821-1835 Kapaa
246-3535 Lihue
http://divine-planet.com