GEMS & JEWELRY

All that glitters

It's an exciting time to shop for gems and jewelry in Thailand. As the cutting center of the world, Thailand is ideally placed to offer both the latest in high-quality fashion jewelry along with the ever-popular classics. Recent advances in stone cutting techniques have created a global market for local designs. Thailand's talented jewelry crafters are cutting gemstones into unusual shapes and setting single stones in gold, silver and even platinum. Some designers create entire rings, including the shanks, from gemstones. Of course the traditional styles such as ornate gemstone clusters are still available. Which means you have more jewelry choices than ever!

Thanks to new processing techniques, semi-precious stones such as amethyst, tourmaline and pink quartz have moved from costume jewelry to become upmarket gems. With improvements in silver quality, the metal once used mainly for ethnic and costume pieces is now considered a high-end material, even suitable for setting with diamonds.

Thailand's distinctive 24-karat gold, available in the traditionally decorated red and white stones everywhere, is prized worldwide for its unique color and style. More modern designs can be found in stand-alone shops within major departments stores.

Bangkok is the hub for the latest jewelry trends. With the advent of the Jewel Fest Club, a non-profit organization set up by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Thai Gem & Jewelry Traders Association, customers can rest assured of a store's reliability and quality. JFC sets merchandise standards and reasonable prices for customers. Anyone who buy from members display the JFC logo can be assured of a money-back guarantee if they're not satisfied with their purchase.