Jewelry in KL and other parts of Malaysia?
Jul 10th, 2005, 10:08 AM
#1
Jewelry in KL and other parts of Malaysia?
Does anyone have any suggestions on where to buy jewelry in KL (and/or Penang, Sandakan and Kuching)? I am mainly interested in 22k gold in traditional designs. I'm not as interested in custom made jewelry but am open to that if anyone has suggestions. I'm looking for quality (at a reasonable price of course!) Thanks, Laurie
Jul 10th, 2005, 11:03 PM
#3
Join Date: Mar 2004
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Hi,
What do you mean by traditional designs? Almost all gold items on sale in KL is in 22k (popularly known as 916 gold here). You will find plenty of jewelry shops in shopping malls in KL. Gold jewelry is sold by weight here (with a portion of the price attributed to 'workmanship')- so prices wont vary that much from shop to shop. White gold jewelry is very popular now. 'Local' designs are cheaper than 'imported' designs (I bought an 'in-house' white gold diamand bracelet this last mother's day and it cost the same as another white gold bracelet imported from Italy, without the (small)diamonds). And yes, you should always ask the sales person for the 'best price' and not just go for the listed price.
Along the streets of KL (say Chinatown area), you may find those old-style goldsmith shops - those may have more traditional designs.
Here's a website for a major chain in Malaysia
http://www.tomei.com.my/
What do you mean by traditional designs? Almost all gold items on sale in KL is in 22k (popularly known as 916 gold here). You will find plenty of jewelry shops in shopping malls in KL. Gold jewelry is sold by weight here (with a portion of the price attributed to 'workmanship')- so prices wont vary that much from shop to shop. White gold jewelry is very popular now. 'Local' designs are cheaper than 'imported' designs (I bought an 'in-house' white gold diamand bracelet this last mother's day and it cost the same as another white gold bracelet imported from Italy, without the (small)diamonds). And yes, you should always ask the sales person for the 'best price' and not just go for the listed price.
Along the streets of KL (say Chinatown area), you may find those old-style goldsmith shops - those may have more traditional designs.
Here's a website for a major chain in Malaysia
http://www.tomei.com.my/
Jul 11th, 2005, 03:35 AM
#4
Thanks Janna,
What I mean by traditional designs is that I would rather have more intricate designs than something modern. I know that Malaysia is famous (for lack of a better word) for filigree. I wear both yellow and white gold but I must admit, I've never seen white gold in anything higher than 18k.
Thank you for that website. I see they have a store at Suria KLCC, which is nice since I'm staying at the Mandarin Oriental, which is very convenient.
What I mean by traditional designs is that I would rather have more intricate designs than something modern. I know that Malaysia is famous (for lack of a better word) for filigree. I wear both yellow and white gold but I must admit, I've never seen white gold in anything higher than 18k.
Thank you for that website. I see they have a store at Suria KLCC, which is nice since I'm staying at the Mandarin Oriental, which is very convenient.
Jul 12th, 2005, 06:24 PM
#6
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You should ask for Peranakan jewelry. Peranakans are Straits born Chinese ie Chinese who have married into the local Malay community. They have their own distinctive culture. Especially famed for their food which is a mix of Chinese/Malay cooking. They are known for their intricate jewelry, sarong kebaya and shoes. They are primarily found in Penang, KL and Singapore.
Jul 13th, 2005, 02:54 AM
#7
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another jewelry shop in the shopping mall adjoining Mandarin Oriental is Habib Jewels. They cater mainly to the Malay community so the designs should be more "traditional". Their website is www.habibjewels.com.
Since Malaysia is a multiracial country, traditional can mean different things to different people.
For indian designs, you can find some shops in the Masjid India/Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman area (ask your hotel concierge on how to get there). There are also shops in the Chinatown (or locally known as Petaling Street) area which have more chinese designs (if there is such a thing...). The indian, malay, chinese designs can be quite different. Most jewelry shops are small, family-owned.
Unfortunately I can't recommend any particular shops since I don't really buy jewelry... sorry
Since Malaysia is a multiracial country, traditional can mean different things to different people.
For indian designs, you can find some shops in the Masjid India/Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman area (ask your hotel concierge on how to get there). There are also shops in the Chinatown (or locally known as Petaling Street) area which have more chinese designs (if there is such a thing...). The indian, malay, chinese designs can be quite different. Most jewelry shops are small, family-owned.
Unfortunately I can't recommend any particular shops since I don't really buy jewelry... sorry
