Buying Pearls in Shanghai? Pearl's Circles is Worth a Visit

Pearls are a great buy in China as it is a center for freshwater pearl cultivation. Pearl's Circles is a wholesale market, meaning you can buy at deep discount and loose strands as well as finished jewelry.

The market tops the First Asia Jewelry Plaza near Shanghai's Yuyuan or Yu Garden Bazaar area. As you leave the escalator on the third floor, you'll be overwhelmed by the sheer number of vendors. The ladies will call out to you and offer you a drink of water to entice you to their counter. It'll be hard to get comfortable, so my advice is to walk around, peruse what's on offer and then saddle up to a counter. Get your bargaining gloves on and buy ready-to-wear, or design your own jewelry and have it made up in a few minutes. Most vendors are very up-front about what's real and what's imitation.

Read Buying Pearls to learn more about valuing your purchases.

My favorite vendors at Pearl's Circles. Photo by Sara Naumann