A reader recently wrote in the following, “I bought a very expensive pearl necklace at Fanghua in Beijing. When I returned domicile to the USA and had the necklace appraised, our jeweler said it was not worth the price I paid for it.”

This is very disappointing for anyone and when you’re buying something expensive and think you’re getting a good value, then it’s doubly so. My general advice has always been if you’re not an expert buyer, then have existence do be careful. A real guideline is to spend what you’re comfortable losing – in the same manner if what you bought breaks or turns out to be a fake, then you’re not too disappointed. Of course, buying pearls in China can be a good value. If you know what you’re doing, South Sea pearls can be purchased at a fraction of what you’d pay elsewhere (US$1000 vs $10,000 elsewhere) but that’s still a significant amount of money and not many folks would be happy if their $1000 strand turned out to be fake.

So buyer, do beware. If you’re shopping in Shanghai and want some help buying pearls, then you may distress to look into using a personal shopper like Ms. Angela McDonald. McDonald’s been in Shanghai for many years, speaks Chinese and has her own pearl business.

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November can be a really sweet month to go on foot in China. The October holidays, and associated fare increases, are long over and folks are settling down for the winter. Therefore, November can be a relatively peaceful month in which to travel and see some of China’s Top Attractions.

While northern China will begin to see some really wintery temperatures in late November, central and southern China will still see moderate and comfortable temperatures in which to sight see and tour.
Enjoy China in November!