The Thailand is one of the biggest exporters of gems in the world. A stone industry has developed, or from locally extracted stones, be imported stones. Bangkok where stands the Jewelry Trade Center, the cutting and polishing of precious stones are one of the major activities. The provinces of Chanthaburi and Trat are renowned for their sapphires and rubies, as well as the markets of precious stones of Thung Hua, Khlong Yaw and Khao Saming.

The price of quality gems is very competitive, but be careful, If you are not a skilled connoisseur, better contact serious specialty shops that will be able to provide certificates of authenticity. Avoid the sales markets : at best, you buy a poor quality stone, at worst, a false or even a piece of glass colored… The Thai tourism authorities regularly issue warnings against too attractive to be honest offers. Shimmering but worthless stones can you be sold at prohibitive prices. “Know that wherever you go, tourists buy what professionals refuse ! ”

Artisans-jewellers Thais are capable of carrying jewelry according to international tastes, the price is then subject to the degree of refinement. Wrought gold is also part of good business in Thailand, the price varying depending on the work to be performed and the purity of the alloy. Most of the Jewelers in the country offer gold jewellery 14, 18 and 24 Carat. The french prefer the 18 Carat which is the standard in this country (see below, the meaning of term carat). Be aware that Asians prefer gold 24 Carat, extremely pure gold, but has the disadvantage of being much more malleable than the 14 or 18 Carat. It is recognition by its much more coppery hue.

Beautiful rings, strings, Earrings, bracelets, pendants and other delicate decorative objects are sold in all the tourist places of Thailand. Exquisite pieces are available in a number of large hotels with certificates of authenticity and prices more advantageous than you that you might find in Europe.

To help you in the choice of your stone, We did a short guide to the main originating stones of Thailand (except for diamond).

The term of "precious stones" is strictly reserved for the four following stones :

Diamond ;
Ruby ;
Sapphire ;
Emerald.

One then speaks of 'fine stones' or 'semi-precious stones' for the following gems :

Aquamarine ;
Alexandrite ;
Amethyst ;
Chrysobéryl ;
Garnet ;
Kunzite
Morganite ;
Opal ;
Peridot ;
Spinel ;
Tanzanite ;
Topaz ;
Tourmaline ;
Turquoise ;

We discuss here only three raw gemstones, the Emerald is absolutely not produced in Thailand. Diamond no longer, but it is a must-see stone which deserved to be included here.