[Rockhounds] Man in China
Axel Emmermann
axel.emmermann at pandora.be
Wed Apr 30 12:49:37 PDT 2008
Lyle,
Something along this lines? http://flickr.com/photos/22753159@N04/map/
I use the FlickR site quite a lot and it is a good tool to share visual
information!
Axel
> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
> Van: rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com
> [mailto:rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com] Namens Lyle Pai
> Verzonden: woensdag 30 april 2008 13:01
> Aan: Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem
> collectors
> Onderwerp: Re: [Rockhounds] Man in China
>
> Dear Axel,
>
> Thank you for your email.
>
> I understand the need for collectors to have precise
> information about the source location for the minerals they
> collect and I will endeavour to get as much information as I
> can. However, I must warn that this can be difficult
> sometimes. The market on the ground here is quite fragmented
> and most dealers don't like to divulge their source(s). If it
> comes from established mines then it's easier to get the
> information but there are a lot of new mines that are being
> opened with private money and they don't like to divulge the
> location of their mine(s).
>
> For example, I recently picked up some Schorl and Quartz from
> a guy who had spent 7 months digging for them and he's not
> going to tell anyone where the mine is... I'm particularly
> attracted to Schorl for some reason... and he had some very
> nice pieces...
>
> Also, a lot of the dealers were just poor peasants a few
> years ago and cared little about the details of what they
> were buying and selling. Of course, this is slowly changing
> as more and more money enters this business. The guys who got
> into this business 5-10 years ago when Chinese minerals
> started showing up in international markets in a big way are
> among the nouveau riche of China...
>
> By the way, I'm trying to put together a list of the mines in
> China using Google Earth which I thought was a fun project to
> do. I don't know if anyone has done this for mines in other
> countries. I plan to visit some of the mines myself but I
> understand some are quite inaccessible. I will record as much
> as possible and upload them onto my future website and also
> Google Earth's Panaramio photo service which I think will be
> a most interesting thing for international collectors to see
> (by satellite) exactly where their collection comes from.
>
> Anyway, if anyone has information they're willing to share...
>
> Thanks again for your comments Axel and I will keep them in
> mind. I will label all my speciments with great detail and
> sell them at ridiculously high prices...Just kidding...
>
> With kind regards,
> Lyle
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Axel Emmermann" <axel.emmermann at pandora.be>
> To: "'Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem
> collectors'" <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 5:38 PM
> Subject: RE: [Rockhounds] Man in China
>
>
> > Hi Lyle,
> >
> > Nice to hear from you!
> >
> > Guess what? I met a very nice Chinese lady too on our
> annual mineral show. I
> > know her from our previous show but this time we actually
> got to talk since
> > I was there as a dealer for the first time.
> > She had some breathtaking stuff in her shop but obviously
> she knew the
> > current prices very well.
> > I just made clear to her that I wanted some of the
> fluorescent calcite that
> > she had (gorgeous) and that I intended to resell them BUT I
> would leave HER
> > price tag on them, not to duck under her prices.
> > She (spontaneously) said to handpick what I wanted. She the
> took out a
> > little calculator, smiled and gave me a 42% discount.
> > Cultural differences between western people and Chinese are
> enormous and
> > sometimes bewildering but you're patient and try to
> understand why they do
> > things differently, they will treat you nicer than your own
> family will.
> >
> > Now, you seem to be at the source of minerals that one day
> may be in my
> > collection. Tell your mineral suppliers that we value a
> correct and complete
> > locality of a mineral VERY highly.
> > I recently saw (again) labels like "Scheelite, Hunan, China"
> > My country ,Belgium, fits about 30 times in Hunan so we
> like to know the
> > Mine, area, nearest town or city, county, province, nation.
> > So, I guess that I'm sending you on a mission... It's (like
> suicide bombers
> > say:) all about locality, locality, locality!
> > I've left exquisite specimens that were ridiculously low
> priced lying on the
> > table of the dealer because the label was incomplete.
> >
> > Cheers
> > Axel
> > Axel Emmermann
> > European Regional Vice President of the
> > Fluorescent Mineral Society
> > <http://www.uvminerals.org/>
> > =========================
> > Mineralogische Kring Antwerpen/Antwerp Mineralogical Society
> > <http://www.minerant.org/index.html>
> > Werkgroepleider/Workgroup leader: Fluorescerende
> mineralen/Fluorescent
> > minerals
> > Technische Realisaties/Engineering
> > My website:<http://users.pandora.be/axel.emmerman/home/>
> >
> >
> >
> > > -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
> > > Van: rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com
> > > [mailto:rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com] Namens Lyle Pai
> > > Verzonden: woensdag 30 april 2008 8:54
> > > Aan: Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem
> > > collectors
> > > Onderwerp: [Rockhounds] Man in China
> > >
> > > Hello Everyone,
> > >
> > > As I'm brand spanking new to the list and not known to be a
> > > shy person, let me jump in with both feet and see if I
> sink or swim...
> > >
> > > My name is Lyle Pai. I'm a Chinese American currently living
> > > in Shanghai. I moved to Chicago in 1967 from Taiwan and grew
> > > up in the Chicago suburbs. Went to Downers Grove South High
> > > School (Go Mustangs!) and then went onto the University of
> > > Chicago (Go Moroons!) where I graduated with a degree in
> > > Economics. After school, I worked in the Financial Futures
> > > markets in Chicago before being recruited by Citibank New
> > > York to trade foreign exchange and fixed income securities.
> > > After 4-5 years in New York, I moved to Hong Kong in 1986
> > > with Reuters PLC and have been in Greater China (HK, Taiwan,
> > > Shanghai) ever since. After getting out of the banking
> > > business about 5 years ago, I've been involved with real
> > > estate investments in China and trading Chinese stocks.
> > >
> > > About six months ago, I met a lovely Chinese girl (actually a
> > > lady) that I plan to marry (I know, I'm a real sucker for
> > > punishment...). Anyway, long story short, my girlfriend is
> > > involved in the mineral business in China so I've been on a
> > > steep learning curve over the past few months on the whole
> > > mineral business. Unfortunately, there are only so many hours
> > > in a day... Luckily, I also had a chemistry background (my
> > > mother wanted me to be a doctor, you know the story...) so
> > > some of the nomenclature is not totally new to me...
> > >
> > > Anyway, I was reading the recent discussion on 'Chinese
> > > crystals on Ebay' and noted the concerns of many on the
> > > authenticity of some of the products coming out of China. I
> > > understand that this problem is of grave concern to many
> > > people around the world and as the old saying goes, CAVEAT
> > > EMPTOR... I know it's hard for some of you to understand and
> > > to accept that so many faked products are coming out of
> > > China. You have to be here and watch the change that is
> > > overtaking China to appreciate what's going on. I first
> > > visited China with my parents in 1984. You should've seen it
> > > then... and what I've seen over the past 24 years is nothing
> > > short of astounding... China went from a third world country
> > > to a global power in just over 1 generation...
> > >
> > > You can just imaging how fast the wealth discrepancies have
> > > been growing here so it's understandable that there are many
> > > who wish to get rich quickly, even if it is at the expense of
> > > poor suckers like you and me... Just remember, Americans are
> > > not above sucking the blood of their own and at the much
> > > bigger scale. Just look at Enron and other examples of
> > > corporate malfeasance over the past 30 years... I'm not
> > > trying to excuse the fraud but just giving you the subtext of
> > > what's been happening here from someone who has watched it up
> > > close for the past 20+ years...
> > >
> > > Anyway, I know this is getting long so I'll get to my pitch
> > > before you guys fall asleep. I've visited several of the
> > > markets in China including those that sell crystals. I've
> > > seen some amazing things and plan to get into the mineral
> > > collecting business over time. As I'm new to the business,
> > > I'm proceeding cautiously. I see that the internet is the way
> > > to go but again, I'm learning to crawl before I start to walk.
> > >
> > > In short, I would be very interested in working with any
> > > number of yous to source the stones, minerals, crystals that
> > > you need from China. I need knowledge (like how to
> > > distinguish between real and fake crystals, etc) and
> > > experience that many of you can provide. In return, I get you
> > > what you want or need at a reasonable price plus reasonable
> > > shipping cost. I can ship (via ocean freight) to Chicago
> > > where my family still lives and then ship out by UPS ground
> > > at a much cheaper rate than what they offer on Ebay. Of
> > > course, this takes longer than EMS shipments but can be done
> > > at a much lower cost...ALSO, I need to make some money doing
> > > this... but I'll guarantee you that you get exactly what you
> > > paid for, not some fake replica...AND, of cause, I can
> > > communicate fluently in English so things don't get mixed in
> > > translation...
> > >
> > > Interested parties are welcome to contact me. I have a US
> > > phone number: (630) 214-9727 that you can call me on and I
> > > pick up in Shanghai... Just remember, I'm on the opposite
> > > side of the planet from you so 13:00 CST is 02:00 here in
> > > Shanghai. Please don't call me in your afternoons, I'm
> > > sleeping. I can be reached here all through your evenings and
> > > into the mornings. If I'm not in the office, the calls jump
> > > to my cell phone and you're paying international cellular
> > > rates (which can be expensive) ... so before you want to hear
> > > my pleasant voice, please drop me an email: lpai at hotmail.com
> > > and let me know what you would like to do. As some of you
> > > already know, exporting real fossils is illegal so I won't do
> > > that. Otherwise, anything goes. China has an abundance of
> > > rocks and minerals and they're not above selling the roof off
> > > their house...
> > >
> > > I will be in Tucson next year for the show so hope to see
> > > some of yous in person then. I will be going to Sainte-Marie
> > > and Munich this year so if any of yous attend those shows,
> > > please contact me and let's have a beer together.
> > >
> > > I know that many of yous are already buying and selling
> > > stones from China and here comes this newbie to increase the
> > > competition.... My goals are simple: I like what I see and I
> > > can see there's money to be made in collecting and trading
> > > good stuff. Most of the good stuff is held by American or
> > > European collectors. However, there is growing interest by
> > > Chinese collectors and before soon, some of the Chinese
> > > collectors will join the world ranks... I've seen some
> > > collections already that would make your mouth water... One
> > > of these days, they'll have an international show like Tucson
> > > here in China and you guys get to come over and see for
> > > yourself... I'll be welcoming you and showing off my
> > > collection then...
> > >
> > > My sincere thanks for your patience and kindest regards from
> > > Shanghai...
> > >
> > > Lyle
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Rockhounds at drizzle Mailing List
> > > Subscription Services:
> > > http://lists.drizzle.com/mailman/listinfo/rockhounds
> > > List Home Page, with a link to the List Usage Policy:
> > > http://www.eclecticlapidary.com/Rockhounds/index.html
> > >
> >
> > --
> > _______________________________________________
> > Rockhounds at drizzle Mailing List
> > Subscription Services:
> > http://lists.drizzle.com/mailman/listinfo/rockhounds
> > List Home Page, with a link to the List Usage Policy:
> > http://www.eclecticlapidary.com/Rockhounds/index.html
> >
>
> --
> _______________________________________________
> Rockhounds at drizzle Mailing List
> Subscription Services:
> http://lists.drizzle.com/mailman/listinfo/rockhounds
> List Home Page, with a link to the List Usage Policy:
> http://www.eclecticlapidary.com/Rockhounds/index.html
>
More information about the Rockhounds
mailing list