Started the day by calling back to the first office to pay for (ouch) and collect my stash. I picked up some classic white metallic round strands…’double-double’ shiny AAA with matching pairs of half drilleds. A special request. Plus I was wearing a pair of big pink drops from here and succumbed to a few more pairs.

Having paid I quickly escaped before I could be tempted yet more. I went to the office of a big supplier, from whom I had bought in the past. But their behaviour last year and this means I won’t be going there again. Several staff members carefully ignored several customers and left us to one new employee who had been there under a week.  i found one paIr of souffle pearls and played with some 10mm natural colours AAA rounds but found no pairs.

These souffles were shiny but the colour was a bit weak.

I (and the other customers felt so dismayed we didn’t buy anything. Never iond. This company is, as far as I know, a main supplier for a big company so we small fry are not important.

Feeling glum I went finally to my favourite south sea supplier. Dark tahitians were muddy but I found some lush lighter multicoloured rounds and baroques.

lighter shades of tahitians were much more attractive than darks, which looked muddy

Trays and trays of south sea pearls

And some fun gold south sea ripples. Just the one strand. These aren’t just baroques, they really are like ripples. In spite of poking though every tray of pearls I could not find any other similar stands

Is this the first ever gold south sea ripple strand?

Finally, some big tahitian buttons which will make amazing earrings