form of refinishing. After amassing a gorgeous collection of antiques, she and a dear friend, who was at the time the Italian Ambassador's wife, decided to plan high-end antique shows for diplomatic corps' ladies. "It turned out to be the most exciting thing," she recounts. "We had the first show at my house, and by 11am, we had sold everything."

From there, Joan's insatiable appetite for finding beautiful things led her into a partnership where she helped to develop a line of new porcelain. Later, she also started her own jewelry line, aptly called JCP Jewelry, that was sold at Bergdorff's and other exclusive stores. She also made silk cusions and sold those to B. Altmans.

"What I've always enjoyed most is simply being surrounded by these incredibly beautiful treasures," Joan explains. It's that passion -- and the knowledge base that backs it up -- that has made Joan Potter a much-sought-after expert in her field. Over the years, she has been featured in magazines and newspapers worldwide, and today she boasts a very devoted celebrity clientele.

"What we have as our greatest strength," Joan says, "is that we lived overseas for more than 40 years. Because of that, we have tremendous contacts, and there's nothing they can't find for us.

"That is the singularly most important thing," Joan continues. "I don't go to Buyers Markets or tradeshows. I shop at very out-of-the-way stores in very small, very out-of-the-way villages. When I'm in these towns where no English is spoken, it's my contacts that make all the difference for me. That's how I'm able to consistently acquire the most beautiful pieces."

Today, Joan splits her time between Martha's Vineyard and her flat in Shanghai. And what does she enjoy most? "There's nothing greater than educating our clients, in my own way."

Joan Potter

Proprietor and

Asian Antiques Expert

The year was 1962 and Joan Potter found herself living in Singapore, surrounded by beauty. "That was the year I began my tremendously passionate love affair with Asian design and decor," Joan remembers.

It was also the year that she began contemplating the idea of exporting the gorgeous Hong Kong and Singapore treasures back to the United States.

Following her heart, Joan began buying items that she found irrisistible, including some that needed a bit of her TLC in the