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}Gemstones in Thailand
: how to buy gems & jewelry »
The Myth of Gemstones in Thailand
Thailand's reputation as a center of civilization in the Orient has been
reflected by the rich forms of art that has formed an integral part of most
Thais. The artistry of Thai artisans have intrigued men and women around the
world for its exquisite, delicate splendor and beauty. The long tradition of
fine craftsmanship has passed through several generations and is still very
much intact today.
Gems and jewelry is one of the key industries which has flourished ever
since ancient times. Traditional belief suggested that by wearing certain
jewels and clothes which agree with the colour of the day and or birthday
would bring good fortune and success.
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| » Here is the guide: For those who are born
on: |
| Sunday |
Wear jewelry with Garnet and Zircon and clothes in orange or red |
| Monday |
Wear jewelry with Pearl and Diamond and clothes in cream or yellow |
| Tuesday |
Wear jewelry with Topaz and clothes in pink |
| Wednesday |
Wear jewelry with Emerald and clothes in green |
| Thursday |
Wear jewelry with Cat's eye (Chrysoberyl) and clothes in orange |
| Friday |
Wear jewelry with Pearl and Diamond and clothes in sky blue or dark
blue |
| Saturday |
Wear jewelry with Spinel and Ruby and clothes in black or purple |
| |
|
| » There has also been a myth about decking oneself with
certain gem-stones based on his/her month of birth in order to capture
the best fortune and prosperity. It goes like this: For those who are
born in the month of |
| January |
Garnet |
| February |
Amethyst |
| March |
Aquamarine and Bloodstone |
| April |
Diamond |
| May |
Emerald |
| June |
Pearl and Moonstone |
| July |
Ruby |
| August |
Peridot |
| September |
Sapphire |
| October |
Opal |
| November |
Topaz |
| December |
Turquoise and Zircon |
|
»
A Birthplace of Jewels. Fine Craftsmanship and Discovery
Thailand has been recognized as one of the world's major gems and
jewelry centers. The Kingdom is not only endowed with dedicated and
gifted artisans, but also gemstone resources.Sapphires have been discovered in Kanchanaburi. Chanthaburi, Si Saket,
Ubon Ratchathani, Phrae, Phetchabun and Sukhothai. Chanthaburi's
districts of Pong Nam Ron, Bo Rai and Khao Saming have been known as
producers of rubies: in addition to. Nam Yuen district of Ubon
Ratchathani.
The red rubies discovered in Chanthaburi have been known as "Tab Tim
Siam" or "Siamese Rubies" which are sought after by jewel lovers
around the world for their dazzling red and magical looks. The Siamese
Rubies have thus credited Thailand as the "Land of Jewels of die
East."
Thailand's gems and jewelry industry has systematically developed from
a cottage level to a large-scale export-oriented scale. The sector has
become one of the country's top-ten foreign exchange earners,
generating tens of billions of Baht to the economy and creating jobs
for millions of people.
Quality, attention to detail and reasonable pricing are elements of
continued success of the Thai jewelry industry. To enhance the
sector's competitiveness, the Royal Thai Government has exempted
tariffs on imported raw materials.
Furthermore, to make the purchase of gems and jewelry in Thailand even
more attractive, the Royal Thai Government has agreed to provide full
refund on Value Added Tax (VAT) imposed on jewels bought by foreign
visitors. |
»
The conditions currently applied to VAT refunds are as follows:-
• Purchase at shops with the sign "VAT Refund for
Tourists".
• Bring along the goods with oneself within 60 days
from the date of purchase.
• Minimum value of purchase from one shop in one day
is 2,000 Baht.
• Total value of goods purchased for a VAT refund
must be at least 5.000 Baht.
• Sales clerks will prepare a VAT refund form and
hand two copies of the form to buyers with a Tax Invoice.
• Goods eligible for VAT refund must not be
restricted items such as firearms, explosives and the like as well
as unset gemstones.
• Must bring along the goods to the port of
disembarkation for display to Customs officials. |
Over the years, Thailand has developed to become one of the world's
top-five jewelry polishing centers which has included Israel, Belgium,
the United States and India. The Kingdom's gemstone polishing capability has developed by leaps and
bounds, leading to the creation of "Bangkok Cut", which is widely
admired. With the advantages mentioned above, it always makes a good reason to
buy a piece of jewelry in Thailand when you are here right in the one
of the world's forefront gems and jewelry centers. |
»
The quality of Thai jewels is assured
Retailing of gems and jewelry in Thailand is governed by proper
trading rules which are closely supervised by government and industry
organizations. The quality of gems and jewelry is examined and
guaranteed by internationally accepted local bodies such as the Asian
Institute of Gemological Science (AIGS), the International Gemological
Institute (IGI), the Gems and Jewelry Institute of Thailand, etc.The adoption of stringent examination processes and issuance of
quality certificates assure you of the quality standards of the goods
you purchase exactly match your expectation both for personal pleasure
and investment.
So if you are looking for something that reminds you of fond memories
of your visit to the Land of Civilization of the Orient that is rich
in arts. heritage and friendship, consider buying a Thai jewel. |
»
List of gemological institutes
| Department of Mineral Resources |
Physics Section, Rama IV Rd., Phayathai, Bangkok
10400
Tel: 202-3690 Fax: 202-3681 |
| |
| The Gems and Jewelry Institute of Thailand |
Faculty of Science Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Rd. Bangkok
Tel:
218-5030-2 Fax: 253-0337 |
| |
| Asian Institute of Gemological Science (AIGS) |
Jewelry Trade Center Bldg. 6m Floor. 919/1 Silom Rd.
Bangkok 10500
Tel: 2674325-7 Fax: 267-4327 |
| |
| International Gemological Institute (IGI) |
B.G.I. Bldg. 9 Soi Charoenkrung 36, New
Road, Bangkok
Tel: 630-6726-7 Fax: 630-5030-2 |
| |
|
Tokyo Gem Laboratory (Thailand) Co., Ltd. |
1 Floor, 55/11 Soi Charoenkrung 42/1, New Road, Bangkok
Tel: 235-1667-8, 235-7324 Fax: 630-9735 |
| |
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»
How to choose a gemstone and a piece of jewelry
□
Nature of Gemstones □
First, it is essential to have the basic knowledge about the
characteristics, colors, clarity, cutting style and the weight of the
gemstones you are selecting. Generally speaking, there are two
categories of gemstone - precious and semi-precious.
Precious stones are Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Emerald
and Cat's Eyes.
Semi-precious stones are Tourmaline, Peridot, Tazanit, Garnet. Opal,
Spinel, Zircon, Aquamarine, Moonstone, Agate, Pearl, Sunstone, etc.
The commercial value, hardness, and durability of semi-precious stones
are normally less than precious stones.
Thailand is one of the world's most important sources of Corundum. the
collective gemological name for precious stones like Ruby and
Sapphire. |
 |
» Ruby
Its color ranges from dark red to pink hardness measured in
Mohs is 9: reflective index is from 1.762 to 1.770 (+/-0.009 - 0.005}: and specific gravity of 4.00 (+/- 0.10 - 0.05).
This precious stone has its origin in countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam and Tanzania. |
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|
 |
» Blue Sapphire
It is another species of Corundum with properties quite similar
to Ruby in terms of color, hardness and specific gravity. Its origins are Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma). |
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 |
» Yellow Sapphire
As part of the Corundum family. Yellow Sapphire has specifications
like 'Blue Sapphire and Ruby, but it is only found mostly in
Thailand and Sri Lanka. |
| |
|
 |
» Diamond
Discovered mostly in Africa, Australia, Russia and South
America, the Diamond is normally colorless, though some come in the shades of light yellow and brown. Its hardness is 10
in Moh measurement; reflective index of 2.417: specific gravity of 3.52 (+/-0.01). |
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»
Quality and value of gemstones
The value of a gemstone lies in its beauty, measured by its color,
luster, transparency, clarity, perfection of cutting (polishing),
size, durability as well as rarity.
□ Ruby
□
The most valued Ruby is in pigeon's blood red. The stone with dark to purple
red color has a lesser value. The Ruby which yields good transparency is considered more beautiful and has more value
than the lesser one. The value of Ruby can also be judged by its clarity which is normally a key characteristic of the
stone, and physical site.
Another beauty yardstick of Ruby is the "Asterism" or star in the stone that renders it the name of "Star Ruby." The
star can be best appreciated from Ruby with a cabo chon shape placed in the light.
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□ Blue & Yellow Sapphire
□
The highly priced color of Blue Sapphire is "pure" blue not being tainted
with green or gray, yet not too dark or black. The most beautiful color for Yellow Sapphire is dark yellow and golden
yellow. The popularity of the two shades varies from one market to another, depending on tastes and fashion trends. Blue
and Yellow Sapphires with good transparency and clarity command more value with size as another determining factor,
though it is easier to find a bigger size of Blue and Yellow Sapphires than Ruby. Like Ruby, Blue Sapphire has the
"star" while it is rare to find a star in Yellow Sapphire.
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□ Diamond
□
More common colors of diamond range from light yellow and light brown while
while is rarer (*see color grading table). There are also established clarity levels of diamond (*see clarity table).
The bigger the size the higher the value of the diamond. Well-proportioned cut diamond is capable of reflecting light,
yield more brilliance and sparkle, thus is more valued.
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»
Color grading
|
GIA Color Scale |
Trade Terms |
|
Colorless to |
D |
Colorless |
Finest White |
Jager |
Colorless |
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I |
E |
River |
| F |
Fine White |
| G |
Near Colorless |
Top Wesselton |
Stones in this grade look colorless face-up: slight
traces of color will not be apparent in mounted stones to other than the trained eye. |
| H |
White |
Wesselton |
| I |
Commercial White |
Top Crystal |
| J |
Top Silver Cape |
Crystal |
Small stones in these range will look colorless
face-up when mounted but large one will be tinted. |
| K |
Faint yellow |
Silver Cape |
Top Cape |
| L |
| M |
Light Cape |
Cape |
Mounted stones in this grades will display a
Yellowish tint even to the untrained eye. |
| N |
Very Light Yellow |
Low Cape |
| O |
Cape |
Very Light Yellow |
| P |
| Q |
| R |
| S |
Light Yellow |
Dark Cape |
| T |
| U |
| V |
| W |
| X |
| Y |
| Fancy Yellow |
Z |
Fancy |
|
»
Clarity
| GIA |
Scandinavia |
Exchange |
USSR |
Alternate W. Europe |
| FL |
FL |
|
10X CLEAN |
IF |
| IF |
IF |
PURE |
| VVS 1 |
VVSI 1 |
VVS |
10X CLEANISH |
VVS 1 |
| VVS 2 |
VVSI 2 |
| VS 2 |
VSI 1 |
10X VERY SLIGHT |
VS 1 |
| VS 1 |
VSI 2 |
SI |
| SI 1 |
SI 1 |
10 SLIGHT EYE CLEAN |
SI |
| SI 2 |
SI 2 |
| I 1 |
PIQUE 1 |
PIQUE |
VERY SLIGHT TO THE EYE |
PIQUE 1 |
| I 2 |
PIQUE 2 |
SLIGHT TO THE EYE |
PIQUE 2 |
| I 3 |
PIQUE 3 |
MARKED TO THE EYE |
PIQUE 3 |
|
Note :
| FL = Flawless |
IF = Internal Flawless |
VVS = Very Very Slightly |
| VS = Very Slightly |
SI = Slightly included |
I = Imperfect |
|
| » Content of Fine Gold and Precious
Metal in Alloys |
|
Fine gold |
Platinum |
• 24 karat (Kt) gold is referred to 100% pure gold
•
22 Kt = 92%
•
18 Kt = 75%
•
16Kt=67%
•
14 Kt=58.5%
•
12 Kt=50%
•
10Kt=41.7% |
• PT950=95%
•
PT900 = 90% |
|
»
Weight measurement for gold, gemstones and diamond
The weight of gemstones and diamond is measured in carat and grams.
One carat is equal to 200 milligrams, while one gram is 5 carats or
1.000 milligrams.
Gold is measured in karat, referring to the percentage of gold in
alloys. Karat, in gold measurement, is usually written with a capital
"K" or "Kt" to provide a distinction from "carat" for precious stones
measurement:,»
Certification of Gemstones and Jewelry
In normal practice, the issue of an authenticity certificate for
jewels purchased rests on a laboratory. However, such certificates can
be issued by specialists who have graduated from gemological institute
and been employed by jewel stores.
With the growing use of synthetic stones in jewelry, it is very
crucial that buyers demand the certificate of authenticity with a gem
identification report being issued by authorized gemologists from the
stores they make the purchase. |
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