Palawan: Pearl Shopping

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South Sea Pearl Bracelets
When one thinks of pasalubong shopping in Puerto Princesa, Palawan pearls are definitely on the must-buy list. Our third and last day in Palawan was devoted almost entirely on pasalubong shopping, of course I was on the look out for the cheapest store I can shop for pearls. The tricycle driver we hired that day brought us to Delma Pearl and Souvenir Shop located beside another famous local restaurant in Mercado de San Miguel, the SkyBox. We found this particular souvenir shop selling cheaper pearls and other accessories compared to the first store we were brought in during our city tour. Best of all we could still use our haggling skills here.

pearl shopping
We left the hotel at around 9am and shopped for 2-3 hours! We made sure to shop early to avoid crowds. True enough, we were the only customers there when we entered the shop that it's so easy to navigate and to choose pearls to our liking. The lady that assisted me was kind enough to answer my curiosity as I found it quite overwhelming to choose which ones coated and which ones are cultured. They have bracelets and necklaces made from fresh water pearls, mother of pearls and the expensive south sea pearls. For those who plans to resell these pearls, you have the option to buy in bulk for much cheaper price.

The cheapest class of pearls I found were the cultured fresh water pearls. I was able to buy 3 pairs of earrings for a total of Php20 bucks?! I also bought sets of pearls for mom and my sisters. As cheaper as the fresh water pearls are, the more expensive are the south sea pearls. The first photo above, the bracelets with two pearls sells at Php2,500! We also saw an interesting designer look necklace worth a good Php4,500 (see photo below).
my aunt haggling for these expensive south sea pearls
My aunt was the one who shopped for south sea pearls who said it's way cheaper to buy here in Palawan than in Manila. After shopping our hearts out we went back to the much bigger pasalubong center located a few meters from Delma Pearl and Souvenir Shop to buy bags, sarongs and shirts. This is where we stopped during our city tour and found more choices of shirts but opted not to buy that night because it was too crowded with tourists.

newly opened pasalubong center

Hungry for lunch, we went to Badjao Seafront Restaurant and proceeded to the public market to buy cashew before checking out and leaving for our flight back to Manila.



Palawan series:
Palawan: Pearl Shopping

Comments

  1. Pinay Travel JunkieMarch 20, 2012 at 4:50 PM

    I've never bought South Sea Pearls and they just look so posh! Befits a handful of occasions. Hope I could score some if and when we revisit Palawan.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ChyngMarch 20, 2012 at 5:12 PM

    never a fan of pearls as jewelry, pero im really fascinated on how these are formed..

    ReplyDelete
  3. LakwatsarahMarch 20, 2012 at 5:56 PM

    @Chyng - not a fan as well, lalo na pag mamahaling alahas! Happy na ko sa fresh water pearl :)

    @Gaye - I'm sure they'll look good on you. The shop also accepts credit card payments

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownSeptember 18, 2012 at 7:01 PM

    Hello, are the pearls set in silver? thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Palawan resortsNovember 28, 2012 at 6:17 PM

    Pearls are indeed one of the main products here in Palawan. Because the islands are sheltered with abundant waters, pearl diving and other marine-related businesses are the main forms of livelihood in the Province. FIY, one of the largest pearls in the world (called Palawan Princess) is actually found in Palawan :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. LakwatsarahMay 13, 2013 at 6:26 AM

    second lang po ang palawan princess.. pearl of allah po ang biggest hehehe also from palawan

    ReplyDelete

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