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Home / Default Category / Findings

Findings

Showing 1–21 of 1293 resultsSorted by latest

Bracelet beading string, 0.8mm, Approximately 50m, Dark purple
R140.00
Bracelet beading string, 0.8mm, Approximately 50m, Maroon
R140.00
Bracelet beading string, 0.8mm, Approximately 50m, Bright Hot red
R140.00
Bracelet beading string, 0.8mm, Approximately 50m, White
R140.00
Bracelet beading string, 0.8mm, Approximately 50m, Navy
R140.00
Bracelet beading string, 0.8mm, Approximately 50m, Green
R140.00
Bracelet beading string, 0.8mm, Approximately 50m, Dark Blue
R140.00
Bracelet beading string, 0.6mm, Approximately 50m, Neon Pink
R140.00
Bracelet beading string, 0.6mm, Approximately 50m, Blue grey
R140.00
Bracelet beading elastic string, 0.2mm, Approximately 50m, White
R140.00
Bracelet beading string, 0.6mm, Approximately 50m, White
R140.00
Bracelet beading string, 0.6mm, Approximately 50m, Copper Brown
R140.00
Bracelet beading string, 0.6mm, Approximately 50m, Orange
R140.00
Bracelet beading string, 0.6mm, Approximately 50m, Purple
R140.00
Purple dyed Tigers Eye 8mm bead string, 39cm
R256.00
Blue dyed Tigers Eye 8mm bead string, 39cm
R256.00
Red jasper bead string, 4mm, 39cm
R88.00
Dark Blue agate bead string, 8mm, 39cm
R112.00
Blue grey agate bead string, 6mm, 39cm
R112.00
Crackle agate bead string, 10mm, 39cm
R128.00
Red jasper bead string, 7mm, 39cm
R88.00

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Kyanite: Nature’s Sapphire Look-Alike With a Secret
Kyanite is a gemstone that breaks the rules. At first glance, its deep sapphire-blue crystals look like they were carved from the sky itself — but the real mystery lies inside.
Why We Trust The Courier Guy for Fast & Reliable Parcel Delivery
WHO WE ARE
We have been dealing with rocks and minerals since 1992. We pride ourselves in our dedication to providing the best customer service we can. We will go out of our… Read more: WHO WE ARE

silverhillsgems

74 Scott Street, Hartbeespoort, ZA🇿🇦
Quality crystals 🔮
Coffee shop on-premise ☕️
Worldwide shipping 📦
All major payment methods including Paypal 💰

⚠️ ‼️ ⚠️ ‼️ ⚠️ ‼️ ⚠️ ‼️COMING SOON! ⚠️ ‼️ ⚠️ ‼️ ⚠️

⚠️ ‼️ ⚠️ ‼️ ⚠️ ‼️ ⚠️ ‼️COMING SOON! ⚠️ ‼️ ⚠️ ‼️ ⚠️ ‼️ ⚠️ ‼️

This just in!

We got a shipment of tumbled stones coming in soon at a really good PRICE!

We are selling per kg !!

Limited stock available!

Available for online and in store purchases.

📍 📍 📍 74 Scott Street Schoemansville Hartbeespoort 📍 📍 📍

OR

🌍 🌏 🌎 www.bronnrocks.co.za 🌎 🌏 🌍

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell #tumbled

Just came to say hello to this beaut as I came int

Just came to say hello to this beaut as I came into the shop... 🥰

Come visit us soon, the video does not do her justice at all...

74 Scott Street Schoemansville Hartbeespoort 📍 📍 📍

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell

Just a pretty little fossil parading on a Monday m

Just a pretty little fossil parading on a Monday morning... 🥰

Available for online and in store purchases.

📍📍 📍 74 Scott Street Schoemansville Hartbeespoort 📍 📍 📍

OR

🌍 🌏 🌎 www.bronnrocks.co.za 🌎 🌏 🌍

Also check out our YouTube channel : TheRockShop@Harties.

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell

The amount of detail and beauty found in this smal

The amount of detail and beauty found in this small Agate bead is so amazing! 🥰 We love...

Agates are so fascinating, I can't get enough... Every piece is so different and special...

Available in store and online...

📌 74 Scott Street Schoemansville Hartbeespoort 📌

OR

🌍 www.bronnrocks.co.za 🌍

Also view our YouTube channel TheRockShop@Harties for amazing and intriguing videos on Agates as well as other minerals...

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell #nowinstore

I am OBSESSED ! 🥰 SHOP NOW! 🌍 🌏 🌎 www.bronnrocks

I am OBSESSED ! 🥰

SHOP NOW!

🌍 🌏 🌎 www.bronnrocks.co.za 🌎 🌏 🌍

OR

Come see us!

📍 📍 📍 74 Scott Street Schoemansville Hartbeespoort 📍 📍 📍

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell #nowinstore

‼️❣️‼️❣️‼️❣️‼️❣️‼️THIS JUST IN ‼️❣️‼️❣️‼️❣️‼️❣️‼️

‼️❣️‼️❣️‼️❣️‼️❣️‼️THIS JUST IN ‼️❣️‼️❣️‼️❣️‼️❣️‼️

As promised, the Big Boss came through for us... We got these beautiful double terminated quartz from Ceres, Western Cape... 🥰

We still in the process of sorting and cleaning but I had to show you all... Shhh!! 🤫🤫 Don't tell the boss I showed you... 🤣 It will be our little secret... 😊

Come see what else we have in store!

Can't wait to see you... 😎

📍 📍 📍 74 Scott Street Schoemansville Hartbeespoort 📍 📍 📍

OR

🌍 🌏 🌎 www.bronnrocks.co.za 🌎 🌏 🌍

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell #nowinstore

The dam’s volume increased from 160 million cubic

The dam’s volume increased from 160 million cubic metres to 205 million cubic metres.

The so-called “Victory Arch” on the Dam Wall is something exceptional. The arch is a copy of the common Roman victory arches with similarities to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The arch symbolises that the struggle for realisation of the dam, and the struggle against poverty was rewarded with victory. The arch is a repetition of the dam’s arch shape, which repeats the shape of the Union Building, which was completed just before the dam was built.

On the eastern side of the arch an expression out of Varro’s “De re Rustica” (“The Rural Case”) is written in big Roman letters: SINE AQUA ARIDA AC MISERA AGRI CULTURA (Without water agriculture is withered and wretched) The expression on the western side was derived from the Latin Bible, Isaiah 44.3. It reads: DEDI IN DESERTO AQUAS FLUMINA IN INVIO (For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground.)

The original name was “Hartebeestpoort”. The “t” in “beest” fell away with the transformation from Dutch to Afrikaans and the “e” in “Harte” had to make way because the name was too long to accommodate the Postal Code system on the 1970’s.

https://hartbeespoort.net/

And just 4 MINS drive from this magnificent Dam Wall is the quaint and beautiful home of Silver Hills Gems... 🥰 Our history doesn't compare but is as beautiful and full bodied as this! Will tell you about it one day soon... 🥰

Come visit us soon! 🥰 We can't wait to see you...

📍📍 📍 74 Scott Street Schoemansville Hartbeespoort 📍📍 📍

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell

Hartbeespoort, situated about 50km northwest of Jo

Hartbeespoort, situated about 50km northwest of Johannesburg, is snuggled on the slopes of the Magalies Mountain and the banks of Hartbeespoort Dam. The name of the valley means “gateway of the Hartebeest (also known as Kongoni – Scientific name: Alcelaphus buselaphus)”. Hartbeespoort is the collective name of a few smaller towns situated around the Hartbeespoort Dam, including the towns of Meerhof, Ifafi, Melodie, Schoemansville and Kosmos. Schoemansville is named after General Hendrik Schoeman, a Boer General in the Anglo-Boer War, who owned the farm that the Hartbeespoort Dam was built on.

The greatest single event in the history of the area was the building of the Hartbeespoort Dam. The first dam in the valley between the Magalies Mountain and Witwatersrand (south of the Dam) was build by General Hendrik Schoeman in 1898 called Sophia Dam, named after his wife. Unfortunately, the engineer who designed the dam wall made a mistake in his calculations and the dam was washed away in a flood shortly after it was constructed. Johan Schoeman, son of the General, revived the idea to build a dam in the Poort in 1905. The establishment of the Union of South Africa in 1910 and the start of the First World War in 1914 delayed the start of the construction of the Dam. In 1920 work eventually started in the Poort. A second natural disaster hampered the construction in March 1921 when floods washed away the cofferdams in the Poort. The government employed a young engineer, F.W. Scott, who redesigned the Dam Wall. Scott reinforced the cofferdams and by 24 May 1921 the Crocodile River was “tamed” and concrete could be poured into the new foundations of the wall on 26 July 1921.

To build the wall 250 000 bags of cement was needed which was supplied by Pretoria Portland Cement. The cement was transported by train to Brits where it was transferred to ox and mule powered coco pans, which transported it to the Poort. The official opening took place on 23 October 1924. In 1970, 10 metal sluices (“crown sluices”) were placed on top of the original overflow. Because of this the water level of the Dam increased by 2,44m.

Continues in next post!

https://hartbeespoort.net/

Bloodstone, also known as heliotrope, is a type of

Bloodstone, also known as heliotrope, is a type of chalcedony, which is a microcrystalline form of quartz. It is primarily composed of silica (SiO2), the same mineral that forms quartz. However, what sets bloodstone apart and gives it its unique appearance are the additional minerals present within its composition.

The predominant color of bloodstone is a deep green, which is attributed to the presence of various minerals, such as chlorite and epidote. These green minerals contain iron and are responsible for the stone’s green hue. The intensity of the green color can vary, ranging from a dark, almost blackish green to a lighter, mossy green.

What truly distinguishes bloodstone and gives it its characteristic name are the red spots, splashes, or streaks that resemble drops of blood. These red inclusions are usually due to the presence of hematite, an iron oxide mineral. The red hematite contrasts with the green background, creating a striking and captivating appearance reminiscent of bloodstains.

Shop NOW!

74 Scott Street Schoemansville Hartbeespoort 📍 📍 📍

OR

www.bronnrocks.co.za 🌎 🌏 🌍

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell

Our website got a face-lift! 🥰 We revamped our we

Our website got a face-lift! 🥰

We revamped our website a bit... Made it more user friendly and bright... Added categories for you to scroll through at your leisure...

We excited about our new look!

We had to have Rocky on the home page as well as our very own, exquisite and famous Hartbeespoort dam wall! 💓

Take a look! 👀

Tell us wat you think? 💬

www.bronnrocks.co.za 🌎

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell

Been a busy few weeks of sorting here at Silver Hi

Been a busy few weeks of sorting here at Silver Hills Gems...

Wanted to show you the colour on these little hematoid quartz specimens we are sorting right from our "backyard"... Its so amazing how when you look at a hill/mountain everyday, you'd never think that this would be right under your nose... 🥰 Amazing!

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell

The intricate lines and formations of this specime

The intricate lines and formations of this specimen is so amazing... 🥰

Shop:

74 Scott Street Schoemansville Hartbeespoort 📍 📍 📍

OR

www.bronnrocks.co.za 🌎 🌏 🌍

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell #malachite #azurite

Wulfenite is a lead molybdate mineral with the for

Wulfenite is a lead molybdate mineral with the formula PbMoO4. It often occurs as thin tabular crystals with a bright orange-red to yellow-orange color, sometimes brown, although the color can be highly variable. In its yellow form it is sometimes called "yellow lead ore".

It crystallizes in the tetragonal system, often occurring as stubby, pyramidal or tabular crystals. It also occurs as earthy, granular masses. It is found in many localities, associated with lead ores as a secondary mineral associated with the oxidized zone of lead deposits. It is also a secondary ore of molybdenum, and is sought by collectors.

Wulfenite was first described in 1845 for an occurrence in Bad Bleiberg, Carinthia, Austria.[2] It was named for Franz Xaver von Wulfen (1728–1805), an Austrian mineralogist.

It occurs as a secondary mineral in oxidized hydrothermal lead deposits. It occurs with cerussite, anglesite, smithsonite, hemimorphite, vanadinite, pyromorphite, mimetite, descloizite, plattnerite and various iron and manganese oxides.

Wulfenite crystallizes in the tetragonal system and possesses nearly equal axial ratios; as a result, it is considered to be crystallographically similar to scheelite (CaWO4).

Wulfenite is classed by a pyramidal-hemihedral (tetragonal dipyramidal) (C4h) crystal symmetry. Therefore, the unit cell is formed by placing points at the vertices and centers of the faces of rhomboids with square bases and the crystallographic axes coincide in directions with the edges of the rhomboids. Two of these lattices interpenetrate such that a point on the first is diagonal to the second and one quarter the distance between the two seconds.

Wulfenite

‼️⚠️ ‼️⚠️ ‼️Sneak Peak ‼️⚠️‼️⚠️ ‼️ Coming to our

‼️⚠️ ‼️⚠️ ‼️Sneak Peak ‼️⚠️‼️⚠️ ‼️

Coming to our store real soon! 😎

So excited to put these beauties in our store for you all ... 🥰

Come visit us soon, can't wait to see you...

📍 📍📍74 Scott Street Schoemansville Hartbeespoort 📍📍 📍

OR

🌍 🌏 🌎 www.bronnrocks.co.za 🌎 🌏 🌍

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell #comingsoon

Helmut gets an agate

Helmut gets an agate

Found this piece of Rough Agate hanging around in

Found this piece of Rough Agate hanging around in our store and was curious to see wat it looked like inside so I got The Boss to cut it open out of curiosity... We speculated that it would probably just be red or orange inside but we were pleasantly suprised that there was some banding on the inside... 😎🥰

Physical Properties
Chemical Formula: SiO₂ (Silicon Dioxide)

Hardness: 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale

Luster: Waxy to dull

Transparency: Translucent to opaque

Specific Gravity: ~2.60–2.64

Fracture: Conchoidal (smooth curved breaks)

Cleavage: None

2. Optical and Visual Properties
Color: Highly variable – commonly white, gray, blue, red, green, pink, brown, or black, often with bands or layers of contrasting colors.

Banded Structure: One of its defining features, caused by rhythmic crystallization or mineral impurities.

Pattern Types: May include moss, dendritic, lace, iris, or fortification patterns.

3. Formation
Origin: Volcanic and metamorphic rocks

Process: Formed in cavities of volcanic rocks where silica-rich fluids deposit in layers over time.

Only one that we have available in store ...

Check out our YouTube channel
TheRockShop@Harties ‼️‼️‼️

Visit us in store
74 Scott Street Schoemansville Hartbeespoort 📍 📍 📍

OR

Visit our online store
Www.bronnrocks.co.za 🌎 🌏 🌍

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell #agate

Do you know how amazing calcite is? NoI don't thin

Do you know how amazing calcite is? NoI don't think you do. Watch the video and then tell me if you knew all this.

Calcite, Tsumeb Mine. ✨ Physical Properties: Che

Calcite, Tsumeb Mine. ✨

Physical Properties:

Chemical Formula: CaCO₃

Crystal System: Trigonal (Rhombohedral)

Color: Usually colorless or white; can also be shades of gray, red, green, blue, yellow, orange, or brown due to impurities.

Luster: Vitreous (glassy), can be pearly on cleavage surfaces

Streak: White

Hardness: 3 on the Mohs scale (soft)

Cleavage: Perfect in three directions (rhombohedral)

Fracture: Conchoidal to uneven

Density: 2.71 g/cm³

Transparency: Transparent to translucent

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell #calcite

Mimetite, Tsumeb Namibia 🇳🇦🥰 1. Chemical Formula

Mimetite, Tsumeb Namibia 🇳🇦🥰

1. Chemical Formula
Pb₅(AsO₄)₃Cl
It may form a solid solution with pyromorphite (Pb₅(PO₄)₃Cl) and vanadinite (Pb₅(VO₄)₃Cl).

2. Crystal System
Hexagonal.

Often forms prismatic, barrel-shaped, or acicular crystals; may also occur as botryoidal (grape-like) or massive forms.

3. Color
Yellow, brown, orange, reddish-orange, white, greenish.

Color can vary due to trace element content or weathering.

4. Luster
Resinous to adamantine.

Can appear glassy or dull in massive forms.

5. Hardness (Mohs scale)
3.5 – 4.

6. Specific Gravity
7.1 – 7.25.

High due to lead content.

7. Streak
White to pale yellow.

8. Transparency
Transparent to translucent.

9. Cleavage and Fracture
Cleavage: Poor or in distinct.

Fracture: Uneven to conchoidal (shell-like).

10. Tenacity
Brittle.

Beautiful Boekenhouthoek Clear Quartz Crystal Clus

Beautiful Boekenhouthoek Clear Quartz Crystal Cluster... 🥰🥰🥰

Today we keep it real... No filters, no edits, no added sounds, just showing off this beauty with the sounds of our town in the background, ppl in cars going about their day... The birds chirping... 🥰 Love it!

This is a very unique piece... Found in our favorite spot Boekenhouthoek, Mpumalanga...

We only have a few available, they are a rare find!

Come see for yourself! 🥰

📍📍📍 74 Scott Street Schoemansville Hartbeespoort 📍 📍 📍

OR

🌍🌏🌏 www.bronnrocks.co.za 🌍🌏🌎

#silverhillsgems #crystals #rockshop #gems #werock #wesell #boekenhouthoekquartz

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A Visit to Rural China | Humble Home, Tea & Bead Stringing Skills

Today I’m in Ketang, China, visiting my friend Yulon at his home. His house is humble, and I feel honoured that he invited me inside. When we arrive, he shows me his name painted on the wall — written by himself with a large calligraphy brush. He even painted the names on his neighbours’ houses. His brush skills are incredible.

This is what real rural China looks like.

Inside his home, he serves me traditional tea with parched rice and peanuts. A simple but beautiful gesture of hospitality.

His wife shows me how she strings beads to earn extra money. Beads are placed on two rolling bars, and she slides a needle through them. The beads almost “jump” onto the string. She earns only 10–15 USD per day (about R250) and receives just 0.20 RMB per string. For higher-quality beads she earns 0.50 RMB per bracelet, but selecting the best stones takes much longer.

Then we visit the local gem mall, where I buy some inexpensive jewellery and get a real feel for the markets in rural China.

If you enjoy seeing how everyday people live, work, and create in China, please subscribe and give this video a thumbs up. It really helps my channel grow.

Invited Into a Humble Chinese Home-What I Saw Truly Surprised Me…

Ever wondered how they drill holes in irregular gemstone beads?
This video shows the entire process.
We visit a gemstone factory hidden in a residential area.
There are hundreds of small gemstone workshops like this.
This factory makes beads and drills holes in quartz crystals and irregular stones.
We travel there on Yulon’s 20-year-old bike.
Up one flight of stairs we enter a world of noise and activity.
The factory is buzzing with workers.
Two beads are drilled at the same time.
A vibrating shaft with metal rods creates friction.
A mix of abrasive powder and water cuts straight through the stone.
The hole is drilled from one side and finished on the other.
It is surprisingly fast.
But the work is repetitive and exhausting.
We walk to the next floor, but it is not operating today.
This is real gemstone manufacturing in China.
Raw. Loud. Authentic.
Watch how beads are drilled from start to finish.
If you enjoy behind-the-scenes gemstone videos, subscribe today.
Don’t forget to like, comment, and share.

“I Finally Saw How They Drill Irregular Beads… It’s Crazy!

Today we take you inside a world few people ever get to see—the heart of a small bead-making workshop in Ketang, China. I ride through the busy streets with Yulon, who worked at this factory just a week ago. His motorbike is more than 20 years old, and let me tell you… riding through Ketang traffic on that thing is a CRAZY experience all on its own!

Our first stop was a factory that turned out to be closed, but we didn’t give up. We set off again and eventually arrived at a small working bead shop—when I say “factory,” it’s really just two hard-working men shaping gemstones by hand.

They were cutting Brazilian quartz crystals into perfect little cubes using a thin 1 mm diamond saw. Each crystal is inspected, chosen for its clear areas, and sliced down by hand. Some cubes come out large, others small, depending on the stone. From there, the beads normally go into the next stage where they are rounded—but that machine wasn’t running today. After rounding, the beads are polished until they shine and finally drilled into the beautiful gemstone beads we all know.

It's incredible to see how much time, skill, and precision goes into something as simple as a bead.

And don’t miss our next video, where we visit Yulon’s home to see how a factory worker lives with his wife and two children in a tiny apartment. Their story is real, humbling, and eye-opening.

Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any of our upcoming videos!

A Wild Ride Through Ketang to Discover How Beads Are Made!

Join me on an unforgettable journey as I travel from Guangzhou to Ketang by private vehicle and check into my hotel right across from the massive Ketang Gem Market—one of the biggest bead and gemstone trading hubs in rural China. After ten years, I reunite with my old friend Yulon, who meets me at the hotel and immediately takes me to the local food trucks. I try a unique Chinese-style hamburger, and then our adventure truly begins…

Rural China Like You’ve Never Seen It

When I last visited this part of China, everything was still done by hand—beads, carvings, drilling, polishing. Today, Ketang has transformed into a major international trade center, buzzing with factories, machines, and global buyers. It is unbelievable how fast this “small rural town” has evolved into a world supplier of gemstones and beads.

💎 First Stop: The Bead-Drilling Shop

Just three shops away from the hotel entrance, we step into a large bead-drilling workshop. Last time, artisans worked manually. Now, everything is mechanized. Watching thousands of beads being drilled with perfect precision—by machine, at lightning speed—is a rare behind-the-scenes look at where global jewellery production actually begins.

🌍 A World Gathering in One Hotel

The hotel is filled with buyers and traders from every corner of the world. It’s incredible to meet people from so many countries, all here for the same reason: to buy and trade gemstones, beads, and jewelry at one of China’s biggest markets.
I feel incredibly blessed to be able to explore places like this and bring you along on the adventure.

🏬 Inside the Massive Ketang Gem Market

Yulon explains something that completely blows my mind—
each stand inside the gem market represents an entire factory.
Every booth is backed by a workshop somewhere in China, producing beads, crystals, carvings, and jewellery for the whole world. The competition is enormous. The scale is overwhelming. And this is where so many of the beads people wear—from bracelets to necklaces—actually come from.

If you’ve ever wondered where your beads are made, or how gemstone jewellery gets from factories to shops around the world, you’ll love this video.

✨ Watch the full vlog to see:

My road trip from Guangzhou to Ketang

Reuniting with my friend after 10 years

Street food scenes and trying a Chinese-style hamburger

High-tech bead drilling machines in action

The huge gem market where every booth = a factory

What it’s like travelling in China as a South African

How rural China has transformed into a global trading giant

🙌 Thank You for Being Here

I truly hope I’ve earned your subscription today.
Your support helps me keep traveling, exploring these hidden parts of the world, and sharing them with you.

👉 If you enjoy gems, travel, culture, and behind-the-scenes stories, hit SUBSCRIBE and join the journey!

Rural China’s Gem Market Will Shock You! Where Your Beads REALLY Come From!

Today I take you along on my early-morning walk through Guangzhou as I head from my hotel to the famous Liwan Plaza. I stayed at a 7 Days Inn, and like most newcomers to China I expected the city to already be buzzing… but I quickly discovered something interesting: China doesn’t wake up early. Shops stay open late, and the streets only start getting busy after 11 AM — which meant I stepped out into a surprisingly quiet city.

On my way, I explore the walking street near Liwan and come across the beautiful bronze sculptures placed along the path. They capture daily life in old Guangzhou and add incredible character to the area. It feels like walking through an open-air museum.

Then I enter Liwan Plaza, and honestly… I am blown away.
Floor after floor, shop after shop, stacked with stock — jewellery, packaging, beads, displays, tools… everything you could imagine and more. It’s overwhelming in the best way possible.

I eventually find the small shop I’ve been looking for: the one that sells labels and plastic bags for packaging. The owners greet me with a warm welcome, reminding me how friendly and helpful people can be here, even if we don’t speak the same language.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to shop in Guangzhou’s wholesale markets, or if you’re planning a sourcing trip to China, this video will give you a real-life look at the experience — from the quiet morning streets to the endless shopping paradise inside Liwan Plaza.

Incredible Liwan Plaza: What Guangzhou REALLY Looks Like Before 11AM

I walk through Shamian Island before I begin a long day of buying. As I wander through the quiet streets, the soft light and calm atmosphere take me back to what I read about this island six or seven years ago—the complex history of the opium trade and the Opium Wars. It’s a chapter many prefer not to revisit, yet it shaped the world in ways still felt today.

But the island I’m walking through now is full of life, joy, and movement.

Everywhere I look, people—especially the elderly—are out enjoying the morning.
🏓 Ping pong
🧘‍♂️ Tai chi
🃏 Playing cards
🪑 And relaxing on benches, chatting with friends

The bronze statues scattered around the island add to its charm, each one telling a quiet story. The combination of history, culture, and peaceful daily routines creates a unique atmosphere that feels both nostalgic and alive.

This 6-minute video is packed with visuals from my walk—little moments, memories from past visits, and the beauty of Shamian Island waking up for the day.

If you enjoy the journey, please give the video a thumbs up 👍
It helps the channel a lot and encourages me to keep sharing these travel moments with you.

Enjoy watching!

Shamian Island Woke Up Before I Did… What I Saw Surprised Me

Join me as I take a slow, curious walk through one of Guangzhou’s most authentic local markets in the heart of the Liwan district. The streets are old, cobbled, and alive with colour, sounds, and the smell of fresh produce. This is not the tourist version of China — this is real daily life.

From stalls overflowing with incredible vegetables to traditional meat sellers preparing cuts on wooden blocks, this market has everything. I pass fishmongers splashing water over tanks filled with live crabs and fish, chickens with their feet and heads still on, and even a jet-black chicken — something you don’t often see in South Africa!

Eggs of every shape, size, and colour line the tables. People chat, bargain, laugh, and go about their day. Right there on the street, barbers cut hair under umbrellas, and on my second day I even sat down for a street beard trim — a uniquely Guangzhou experience I'll never forget.

Walk with me through the Liwan market and see this vibrant world through the eyes of a South African exploring China. This video is all about culture, curiosity, and the beauty of everyday life in a place far from home.

If you enjoy travel, culture, markets, food adventures, and real-life street experiences, this video is for you.
Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave a comment telling me what surprised you the most!

Black Chickens, Live Crabs & Street Barbers shocked me as a South African

Step with me into China’s Pearl Wholesale Paradise as we explore one of the busiest and most fascinating gemstone hubs in the world—Liwan, Guangzhou. In this video, I take you on a rare walk-through inside a massive pearl wholesaler’s warehouse, giving you an up-close look at the incredible volume, variety, and quality of pearls packed into just one store.

Liwan is known globally as a powerhouse in the pearl trade, and today you’ll see exactly why. From endless rows of freshwater pearl strands to trays of perfectly matched round pearls, baroque pearls, rice pearls, button pearls, and more, this warehouse showcases the full spectrum of what China’s pearl industry has to offer. Whether you’re a jewelry maker, gemstone lover, reseller, or simply curious about where pearls come from, this behind-the-scenes tour is an eye-opening experience.

As we move through the warehouse, I’ll show you the difference between commercial-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade pearls—and how pearl buyers identify luster, surface quality, color, size, and shape. You’ll see everything from affordable wholesale pearls sold by the scoop to rare, premium strands that only top gem dealers usually get to handle.

Liwan isn’t just a market—it’s an entire ecosystem of suppliers, dealers, polishers, stringers, and exporters. This video gives you a real sense of the scale of the pearl trade in China and why so many international buyers travel here to source inventory for their jewelry businesses.

If you’ve ever wondered what a pearl mega-warehouse looks like, or you want a closer look at the heart of China’s gemstone market, this tour will blow your mind.

What I Saw in This Warehouse Is Crazy, Where the World Buys Pearls

What a day it’s been here at Silver Hills Gems in Hartbeespoort! In this video, I take you behind the scenes of our shop and show you what really goes into the work we do every day.

We start off by sorting rubies on a glass table – a fascinating process where you can see each stone’s unique color and clarity come to life. From there, we move on to something creative: mounting sapphire crystals and rubies on small mirror tiles. This little trick not only makes the stones look incredible but also gives them a beautiful reflective backdrop perfect for display or photography.

Speaking of photography, I’ll also share a few quick tips on how to improve your gemstone photos for the internet – great for anyone selling or showcasing their pieces online. If you’d like me to make a more in-depth, step-by-step video on this topic, let me know in the comments!

We wrap up the day by adding some stylish touches to the shop: putting up our new Casa de Fonte tiles (inspired by Macau) and revealing the fresh new color of the shop. It’s amazing how much these small updates can transform the atmosphere.

Grab a coffee and join me for a full, hands-on day at Silver Hills Gems – where there’s always something new and exciting happening.

Rubies, Sapphires and the link to Macau, all at Silver Hills Gems

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