Thailand is rich in precious stones, with a natural abundance of rubies, sapphires, zircon, onyx, jade and opal. Local cutting, design and manufacturing skills ensure a fine range of quality items with a wide choice of prices. Thailand also has a long tradition of fine jewellery cutting and making. Design and cutting skills ensure a fine range of quality items, with a wide choice of prices. Kanchanaburi and Chanthaburi are both well-known gemstones mining areas, while Bangkok is the major manufacturing centre, the venue where experts converge to judge, grade, buy and sell.
How to Buy Gems: There are four criteria to judge gems known as the '4 Cs'
1. Colour For a diamand, the clearer and whiter, the more expensive, but for other gemstones, it is more difficult to evaluate. There are many kinds of gemstones and thee has never been a single standard to judge them, unlike a diamond. Other gemstones include:
1.1 Sapphire : a blue kind of gemstone. The most valuable kind of sapphire possesses a blue velvet colour while sapphires with much lighter or darker shades are relatively cheaper.
1.2 Ruby: normally red, but the standard colour is vermilion. Paler or darker shades are slightly cheaper.
1.3 Emerald: a green velvet stone. The cheapest kind of emerald is one that is light green, approaching yellow.
To buy gemstones with their colours as the main criterion, customers should look for those with medium shades, not too light or too dark. They can also seek and experts advice before making a decision.
2. Clarity This concerns the level of contamination inside a gemsotne. The less contamination and fewer defects a gem has, the more expensive it is.
3. Cut This concerns the shapes and balance of a gem's facets. A quality cut creates a glittering reflection inside a gem.
4. Carat weight Quality gems are priced by their carat weights while inferior ones are priced by unit tagged with a fixed price. One carat weighs 200 milligrams.
How to Buy Jewelry
1. The weight and percentage of gold in jewelry The heavier and more percentage, the more expensive.
2. The weight, size, amount and quality of gems The principle of the '4 Cs' can be applied. Buyers should consider the weight of each gemstone because a single, large gemstone is more expensive than several small ones.
How to Buy Gems: There are four criteria to judge gems known as the '4 Cs'
1. Colour For a diamand, the clearer and whiter, the more expensive, but for other gemstones, it is more difficult to evaluate. There are many kinds of gemstones and thee has never been a single standard to judge them, unlike a diamond. Other gemstones include:
1.1 Sapphire : a blue kind of gemstone. The most valuable kind of sapphire possesses a blue velvet colour while sapphires with much lighter or darker shades are relatively cheaper.
1.2 Ruby: normally red, but the standard colour is vermilion. Paler or darker shades are slightly cheaper.
1.3 Emerald: a green velvet stone. The cheapest kind of emerald is one that is light green, approaching yellow.
To buy gemstones with their colours as the main criterion, customers should look for those with medium shades, not too light or too dark. They can also seek and experts advice before making a decision.
2. Clarity This concerns the level of contamination inside a gemsotne. The less contamination and fewer defects a gem has, the more expensive it is.
3. Cut This concerns the shapes and balance of a gem's facets. A quality cut creates a glittering reflection inside a gem.
4. Carat weight Quality gems are priced by their carat weights while inferior ones are priced by unit tagged with a fixed price. One carat weighs 200 milligrams.
How to Buy Jewelry
1. The weight and percentage of gold in jewelry The heavier and more percentage, the more expensive.
2. The weight, size, amount and quality of gems The principle of the '4 Cs' can be applied. Buyers should consider the weight of each gemstone because a single, large gemstone is more expensive than several small ones.
3. Craftmanship and designs
4. Buyer's satisfaction As Jewelry is an art, there is no standard of pricing. Buying depends on the taste and satisfaction of individual buyers. Buyers should enter standard jewelry shops, request for receipts that clearly describe the details of the products, the dates of bying, and the names of sellers, as well as ask for a warranty in order to prevent problems. Visitors can buy quality and satisfaction-guaranteed gems and jewelry at shops which are members of the Jewel Fest Club. These shops are ready to provide visitors with excellent services.
For more information contact:
Jewel Fest Club: http://www.jewelfest.com/
Thai Gem & Jewelry Traders Association : http://www.thaigemjewelry.com/