buying white gold in Thailand?

It doesn't matter how great the price per gram. if the jewelry is not truly 18 k you will have paid too much. Anyone can stamp a 750 or 18 K or whatever on a metal.

I buy my jewelry in Bangkok at SJ International, where I know it is real. Call them and they'll send a car (no obligation, really) for you. Ask to work with Lily. Tell her you were sent by Kathie from Seattle and she'll give you an excellent price.

The chain might be fine, but I don't know that MBK is a place I'd trust to buy fine jewelry. There are lots of gold dealers in Chinatown, but the gold there will mostly be 22k (and it will be gold colored, not white gold). Note that gold is internationally priced, so the only thing you are getting a discount on is the workmanship.

If you want to buy fine jewelry, SJ is the place I've been buying from for over 20 years. The real jewelry bargains in Thailand are in sapphires of every color and rubies. Do call them and they will send a car to pick you up at your hotel and will return you there, no obligation.

SJ International, 125/8 Sawankhalok Road, Dusit, Bangkok, phone 02-2342446, 02-2342447, 02-2411875

For sapphire and ruby jewelry my rule of thumb is that I should be able to buy a piece of jewelry in Bangkok for one fourth of the retail price in the US (one-half of the wholesale price).

thank you guys.... SJ sounds nice, but would they have simple stuff like just a white gold chain???

(I have a beautiful pendant and chain, though the chain keeps tearing, and I'd been looking for a new chain for some time - and only now finally found one I like!)

Does SJ have stores elsewhere in Thailand? we are heading to Phuket tomorrow morning, and will be back in BKK for only some limited time in about a week... do you know if they have a Phuket branch that I can go to?

Thanks!

BTW, "750" means 75.0% gold content - 18K.

Careful about using the term "white gold", as in most of Asia that means platinum - or dead man's gold.

i agree with kathie...mbk???

white gold is fine in bkk....we have purchased it from our jeweler frequently as one of our kids prefers white vs yellow gold...

all gold in thailand is sold based on its weight basically...this price changes daily and is set internationally. that said you can purchase many things cheaper in thailand because there is such a small charge for the "workmanship"... this being an add on price to the actual gold value...

one example....my wife designed, or stole the design, for what we call a 'nantucket braclet'.... its basically a bangle with a clasp and a small replica of a woven nantucket basket on it...in the shop in nantucket where we first saw it, made up in 14K yellow gold, the price was $1250.
we wife brought pictures to thailand and had it re-created adding weight to the original, through use of a heavier gold braclet, and adding two small sapphires on the bale. the thai price was $285 in 18K ... I should not that this was about 5+ years ago when gold prices were substantially less worldwide. but the relative savings remain today...

sapphires, btw, are the best savings that you can have in thailand vs usa...

OK, I'm well familiar with MBK. I know that they do sell a lot of knock-off items; but I would not be so quick to pre judge their gold jewelry.

I have one gold chain that I purchased there. I have not worn it often, but I have not found fault with it either.

What do some people find to be the problem with MBK jewelry?? If someone is looking for something simple, and is not wanting gemstones (which I would probably prefer to buy at SJ or at a reputable department store), what is the problem with buying at MBK? Call me curious.

Carol

Michael, I'd never heard that platinum is referred to as white gold in parts of Asia. Of course, platinum is much more expensive than gold, both per gram and because its hardness makes it more difficult to work with. But that is very interesting.

Carol, my concern is buying any jewelry from an unknown jewelry store, paprticularly in a place so well-known as the mall of knock-offs. The chain might be perfectly fine, but as noted, anyone can stamp a chain with 750. I wouldn't hesitate to buy gold in Chinatown, for instance. But unless I knew the vendor, I probably wouldn't buy at MBK.

i agree....i guess at home i would not go to BJ's/Cosco or the local discount store to buy gold items....yes they probably are 10 or 14, or even 18K gold but they are of lesser quality in the workmanship, density of the metal etc...

carol...we all have been very polite to you in the past, but there is that huge green mark all around your neck...

Bob... you are so naughty!!! Behave yourself! haha

Kathie, it's always best to buy where you feel most comfortable spending your money. I buy a number of items in MBK (and they are not knock-offs) and I have been quite happy with them. I will continue to shop there. I am not a buyer of expensive jewelry, in any sense of the word. Not my thing. But for a nice simple gold chain, I can find what I want at MBK.

Carol

No question, Carol, you know much more about shopping at MBK than I do.

I just felt that if she doesn't know 750 is 18K then she may not know a whole lot about jewelry, and SJ might not cost anymore than the $200 but the quality will be guaranteed.

I guess I am more suspicious of gold stands as I have a friend who used to do asssaying (I think thats the term). They would go in, take samples and often find much a lot of stuff marked 18K or 14K was in fact 10K or less. It is still nice jewelry, but just not what promised.

I can't speak for Thailand, but platinum = white gold in Chinese language.

As a general rule, I would only buy jewelry from a recommended jeweler. I would hesitate to buy gold in Chinatown unless i know who i am dealing with.

MichaelBKK :what is dead man's gold?

rhkkmk : how many days did it take the jeweler to finish the bracelet? was it SJ international?

Thanks.

I remember Diane Sawyer did a piece on 20/20 many years ago where she took the jewelry her husband bought for her for appraisal and found they did not worth half what he paid for. The jewelers were in the heart of the diamond district in NYC and they supposed to offer wholesale price but that didn't happen, did it?

wow... thanks y'all...
I guess I dont know much about Jewelry, I have a few beautiful pieces - gorgeous engagement ring and tennis bracelet from my man , but dont tend to buy jewelry often.
I HAVE been on the lookout for a nice chain, so now I wonder about MBK...
if the quality isnt "perfect" - what does that meab - that an apraiser would tell me it isnt perfect - or that it would go black etc over time?
I just want it to look nice.

Also, the stores were unwilling to go down in price.. i wonder if it was "knock-offs" and not real gold -wouldnt they have wanted to sell it to me for a lower price just to get the profit?

I am not interested in gems, should I head out to SJ for a simple chain and do they have a shop in Phuket?

SJ's only store is in Bangkok. You could go there for a simple chain, though I've always purchased stone (rubies and sapphires) jewelry there.

If the chain at MBK is genuine gold (and from what Carol says, she thinks it is) it wouldn't go black. But examine the workmanship carefully. How secure is the clasp? Are there any kinks in the chain, paces where the links have been bent slightly? Are the links all the same size, and are the links well closed so they don't pull apart?

If you want to buy jewelry, do so in Bangkok, not Phuket.

for the gold content (purity), goldsmiths use .999 and under to classify the content. it is never 1.000 because all of the impurities are never refined out. 18K is .750; 14K is .585. sometimes they also stamp 18K. yellow gold at .750 has 25% alloy (silver and copper to retain the gold color) to harden the piece. if you see the baht chains they are .999 and very dull yellow. no alloy.

white gold is an alloy usually nickle or palladium that will 'whiten' the appearance. obviously the more yellow gold the more yellow the appearance. the problem is going the other way. they could add more nickle and less gold and it will have about the same appearance. so you must deal with a reputable shop.

the goldshops at MBK on the second floor are reliable. you can see the large shops with the gold display on the walls and in the counter.the daily cost in baht (currency) is for the weight in baht (1/2 baht weight = 15.3 grams) a baht chain is one baht weight and would be 30.6 grams. a troy ounce in USA is 31.103. in the past number of years they hae started adding a 'workmanship' cost but its not too much.

if you see something you like keep it in mind and look elsewhere. you can always return and it will be there. no bargaining.

for whomever questioned about turning 'black' gold is inert as is silver so it doesnt turn black. it is always the alloy.

also the diane sawyer expose was about emeralds at the high end shops in manhattan. they succumbed to the wholesalers who werent accurate about the quality given the price that these shops were selling. now they all check the stones and price them themselves. (of coure the price is way too high anyway, but rich folks dont care).

if you are buying gems, take their advice to see SJ Jewelers or Thai Stone Jewelry in the NaNa Hotel lobby. there are hundreds of shops all over and chances are you will overpay for what you get if you do not know gemology.

Mohan, "dead man's gold" is just that - gold buried with the dead, which brings bad luck if you take it. I learned all this years ago when I worked for Platinum Technology, and the guy opening the China office was tearing his hair out because the literal translation of "Platinum" in Chinese is "white gold" - which means "dead man's gold".

haroth: Your explanation is illuminating. The wedding ring I bought for my husband is looking more nickel than platinum. My 18 K chains are getting more brownish over the years. i hope they can be refresh. What is the deal with department store's sales? They don't adjust their gold price and they offer 50% sales. Their gems are junk i know that but what about the gold? Money is one thing. it does not feel good to be misled

Since you know so much I hope you don't mind answering the following question:

Sorry FireDragonII, may i hijack your post for a second? Pardon me please

Where is a reliable place to sell my Chinese gold jewelry in Manhattan nyc? I received some very heavy bracelets, some rings and pendants from relatives as wedding gift eons ago. I don't wear them because the designs are not my taste so i might as well sell them, right? I don't know of any reliable jeweler here in Manhattan and am afraid to walk into any gold stores in Chinatown to do transection. Yes, i have trust issues.

MichaelBKK:yes, the literal translation of "Platinum" in Chinese is "white gold"

http://definingcharacters.com/blog/2006/03/11/platinum/

I know jade are dug up from graves. It won't surprise me gold as well.

Kathie: thanks for recommending SJ international. I am looking forward to going there. By the way, I updated the post on atms in BKK.

haroth
Your information is much appreciated. Thanks for sharing.

Ok, department store and mall jewelers and their 50% - 70% off prices...

(The following description is how the practice of pricing and selling jewelry used to work. I'm sure there is more variation now, but you'll get the general concept.)

Reputable retail jewelers buy stones and settings wholesale and mark them up - double the wholesale price. So at a good retail jeweler, 50% off would be the wholesale price. At "mall" jewelers and department stores, the price described as "retail" or "suggested retail" is often 4x the wholesale price or even more. So, if they mark down the suggested retail price by 50% - you end up with what the reputable retail jewelers are selling as the regular price.

It is usually hard to compare prices between jewelers in the US, as there is not a standard product. So you might see a particular style chain in one store for $200 and the same style chain at another for $400. You need to know how much each chain weighs to compare the gold content, and you need to look at workmanship to determine whether they are comparable. Often at mall jewelers and department store jewelers, you'll find chains that have been kinked or damaged. A chain that has been kinked will break - often sooner than later. You'll also find that chains that look similar often are very different in weight and craftsmanship.

While in Asia the amount of gold you are buying is paramount in setting a price, in the US and Europe, the value of the gold itself is usually much less than half of retail price. So buying gold jewelry in the US vs. Asia is simply a different endeavor. You might buy a heavy gold chain in the US - let's say it weighs an ounce. An ounce of gold is $940 this morning. Now, if your gold chain is 18k, it means there is 3/4 of an ounce of gold in it. So the gold value is $705. In the US, that is likely a $2000 chain. In Asia, it is much less as the craftsmanship is less expensive and is less valued.

Selling your gold at a good price is not easy. If it were me, I'd call a number of places and ask what they are paying. It sounds like your gold is in the 20-22k range, mohan. You should have an easier time than I had. I'd call some places first. You may well find that the gold dealers in Chinatown are your best bet. There are often coin dealers as well who will buy high karat gold like yours.

I consulted a "reputable" jewelry store in Seattle who said they were buying old jewelry. I had some lovely old pieces that I don't wear anymore. Basically, while they said they wanted to buy antique jewelry, they really only wanted to buy gold and silver and pay "melt down" prices (and these were not pieces that anyone would want to melt down!). And the meltdown prices I saw them offer others were certainly no deal for the sellers. It was clear to me that their ads were meant to draw in people with no idea of the value of what they were selling, and who just hoped to get some extra cash. The store expected to make a "killing" doing this, and it appears that they do -especially in this down economy. I opted to put the jewelry back into the safe deposit box.

Mohan, when you visit SJ, do ask for Lily and tell her Kathie from Seattle sent you. That will get you the best price.

mohan: despite being an inert metal, gold can dull over time by use and also scratch minutely, so it may need polishing. same with platinum. you can take the items to a jeweler or you can do somethings on your own. you can buy a 'rouge' cloth that is red with pigment on one side and a soft polishing cloth on the other. get it at a jewelry supply on-line such as Kassoy. if your gold chains are thin, or herringbone, you must be very careful not to 'kink' the links as once bent it is very hard to manually get back.

retail jewelry store have a wide margine (markup)of 3 to 4 times cost because items dont usually sell quickly (unlike a supermarket where food goes out daily and the margine is mayby 3-4%).

kathie is correct in that assessment that they can haev a sale at 50% to 75% off and still make money!!!

selling jewelry items for the gold content is also a costly transaction for the seller. if you have a broken item or mismatched, still you will only get the melt value. in the USA mostly 10K, 12K, or 14K so at best the gold is 58.5%. the return is low back to you. i went to a jewelry store here in hawaii recently because it had a sig saying 'highest prices paid for your gold'. ok i asked if i brought in a suisse .999 gold bar 1 troy ounce, what would they give me. they said $11.00 per gram! ok 31.103 grams to a troy ounce times $11.00= $342.00. what is spot gold today $950.00 per ounce!!! you just got ripped off.

if you have gold jewelry i would try to sell it privately yourself by spreading the word to friends or acquaintences. you cna take the items to a jeweler for the purity (gold content) and have them weigh each individual item alone and get the weight in grams, both essential to know what to sell it for. or you can take it to BKK and sell back to the gold shops. they post both the sell and buy price daily. they may reduce it slightly if not purchased at their shop, but you will come out ahead. i sell gold back on my trips to BKK the past 2 years and it pays for the whole stay. i bought gold at $200.00 per ounce (ok i previously explained the baht weight system so its a little different) but with gold at $950.00 i am way ahead.

hope this helps.

you may also want to but a 10X loupe (corrected) to magnify your jewelry and see gems like you cant with the naked eye! maybe $30.00.

Good info, Haroth.

Hi. me and my boyfriend chose a 18k white gold princess cut diamond ring from Bangkok Gems Gallery - its a massive place with armed guards and everything - we were taken by our UK booked tour guide who ensured us was legit ! had my ring 18months and its turning yellow at the back - took it to the jewellers in the uk , who advised me this is actually yellow gold and rhodium plated !! i have cetificate life time guarentee and everything with photo of my ring which is a cheat ! wish hadn't bought in thailand as you can't just go back to the jewellers !! The diamonds are fine but the ring now looks yellow and poor - had it re-rhodiumed .does anyone know much about this place ?

Sounds like a classic group tour con job. I would suit your UK tour company.

yes i would first consult the UK company and be forcefull with them...

i would also e mail the jewelry company and see what they offer...

white gold is not unknown in thailand

Never, never, never go to a jeweler recommended by a tour company.

First of all, diamonds are not a bargain in Thailand, as diamonds are internationally priced. You probably paid the same amount as you would have paid had you puchased locally. Thailand is a great place to buy sapphires and rubies - if you know what you are doing and you go to a reputable jeweler.

Your tour company got a commission for your purchase, they should be willing to help you out.

i did save about $1000 on two diamonds i bought a few years ago at my jeweler in bkk. i checked the usa price for the description of the stones and was quite surprised....mine cost $1800 and the usa price was $2800-3200 for the exact same stone....but as kathie says diamonds are not a great bargain in thailand like sapphires and rubies are...