hipvirgochick

Recommendations for locations and idea of prices greatly appreciated. We'll be in Northern Thailand (Chiang Rai/Anantara) and Bangkok looking for quality handmade silver and semi-precious stone jewelry for self and for gifts. Thank you.

hobbes

In the shopping are behind the Oriental Hotel there are some great stores. I remember only Lins where I shopped - they ave great contemporary looking designs and copies of Tiffanys, etc. If you wander in this area sure u will find a few more. River City has a couple of stores also but they are exp.

rhkkmk

in back of oriental it is the LIM silver stores...there are 3 or 4 of them in that general area...samples:

6 inche wide, 1 1/4 inche deep wine bottle coaster in sterling---$59...would have been $200 in usa...

small pill boxes in sterling $4-15

candle sticks about $100 pair or less

lots of silver picture frames

in that general area and especially oot on new road there are dozens of silver shops, mostly selling inexpensive silver trinkets...

we saw buttons in one of them...

there is a nice shop called gifted hands near to soi 23, sukhumvit road...go to that area and go to rasi sayan gift shop on soi 23, next to baan khanitha restaurant (2/3 of the way down soi 23 on the right)...they have a neighborhood map on which gifted hands is marked...it is one more street over from soi 23 in a private house...

the shops in the major hotels also have silver items...

rhkkmk

precious stones are everywhere...one central location for stones is at the bottom of silom road near new road....you will see the signs...

try my jewerler: thai stone jewerly, nana hotel, soi 4 , sukhumivt rd

hipvirgochick

Thank you for the locations and suggestions...thanks rhkkmk for the name of your jeweler.

rhkkmk

hipvigro---i must warn you in advance...don't be turned off to the hotel when you enter...it is a dump and left over from the vietnam war era...in fact you will see the
GI's still sitting around in the lobby with their thai girlfriends only now they are 60-80 years old (the gi's)...the store is fair in pricing and offers excellent quality...we do mostly custom work with them...they are in fact working on an order for us at this moment...we usually do gold but this is a tiffany "copy" job in silver...it is family owned and operated...ask for amporn, a woman, or mr lee...tell them bob and karen sent you

hobbes

I can suggest another reasonable jeweler locals frequent - someone else on the forum went to them and returned quite happy. Gold and precious and semi precious stones. Limited designs but great prices. Uthai on Soi Lung Suan. On the first floor.

rhkkmk

uthai is listed in many books....

orgy7

RHKMK.. sorry too bring this up but I've seen ya post the GI comments many times.. and I'll tell ya straight up those are NOT former GI's. the mostt of old GI's are either in the north living with thier thia girl friand. pataya if they have some money or cambodia doing some really shady things I rather not mention..

here is another of bangkoks diry litle secrets (NANA hotel), those guys are mainly mairied busness men from all over the world.. and way too many of those "old men" are currently working for the US state department and other US agencies. most stay at mariot next door.. (damn Im hope I don't get myself in trouble here)

what GI can aford over $1000 a month too pay for a crapy hotel and pay 3 dollers per beer.

one of my favorite dance clubs is there and I spoken too tens of guys. and lastly the avarage age is more around 40 years old. but is is funny watching an 85 year old man in a zoot suit dancing too DR dre (hip hop) with 20 year old ciute....

IM just trying too defend our honorable veterans... lol
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rhkkmk

orgy--i am a vietnam era vet also...the guys i saw at the nana in june were all at least my age (60) or older...on the stool next to you, on both sides, at that open bar on soi 4, the guys were younger, more your age?, around 40ish....hahahaha...but the girls were young---15 and upwards to 30....tough looking however....the men were generally poorly dressed---still wearing their R&R clothes from the 60's...jeans too tight and beer bellies...

i've forgotten where you are from in NE?? i'm from suburban boston...

orgy7

RHKMK.. bear belly'd man with tight jean, and cloths from 70's... that discribes the avarge blue color guy from just about every country..
it certainly discribes my pops. lol.. bkk is like Los Vagas "what happens in bkk stays in bkk".

fortunalty or unfortunatly I have some inside scoop on what goes on there so I'll stick with my story..

from hartford. actually wethersfield..

"my age around 40'sh".. OUCH. ya got me.. I deserve it after all the digs I give ya..

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RHKMK.. I am looking for a saphire and you mentioned the nana place.. if I mention your name will I get a litle dicount or what.. I've never used the referel systom.. THANKS

rhkkmk

as you know the thais like the personal touch or referal system so it may help, but it may be that they charge you more too....

is the saphire for a naval implant?? i know how you exotic dancers are...

by the way do you ever use the computer site on soi 4?? its very good...50B for 15 minutes i think

orgy7

RK---
damn if I were smart I should become a jiggalo for the older thai ladies.. I have the look they like. skinny, whiteish skin, big nose. and uhhh ya know.

now I days I rarely ever go too nana the whole sceen is a disaster and boring.. Im a good buy studying my thai and saving money..

NOPE never used internet shop in sakunvit (too expensive).. I have laptop in apartment, and when I do use public internet shops I pay 30 baht an hour.
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but seriosuly do ya. (anyone) know anything about green saphires. im looking for a fairly big stone for less then $200

rhkkmk

they do have green saphires at thai stone...karen had a pair of earing made about 4 years ago...i think the stones were about 2-3 C each...

i assume you have looked at thai gems on silom?? i'm not sure of their quality but they seem to have everything...

what are you going to do with that stone???

Spygirl

orgy7, orgy7-what are we going to do with you??? Spygirl is beginning to think that orgy7 is really-SPYBOY!! (let's just say, she wouldn't be surprised....)

and orgy7-I'm coming down your way after New Year's-to like, maybe see some of those State Dept. types? I'll make sure and tell them what you said! (smile)

I have a really nice 1 ct. green sapphire-green sapphires are good-but not what I like-I like the padparadscha sapphire (a beautiful but rare orangey-pink color).

orgy7

the saphire is for my JOSTENS high sckiool ring.. it currently has a worn out shamrock (or what ever the heck it is).. I would like too replace it with a hard green stone since I usually walk around town listing too tunes onw my IPOD while taping the hell out of the ring.. it realy gets beat up when I have the latin beats going.

I could have my famaly send me an emerald from colombia for just about nothing. but Im not too sure if it would take the beating. pluss I heard green and blue saphire are very cheep in thatiland.. I havn't looked since I am clueless on the subject they can give me a peice of a SPRITE botle and i'd pay $300

Spygirl

orgy7-take yourself to Kanchanaburi-I have a number of Kanchanaburi blue sapphires- they are some of the highest quality in the world.

StanKase

I know Thailand does not mine emeralds. But does Thai have high quality emeralds-2 carats-in top grade with just a few inclusions.? Any idea of price vs, USA buying a Columbian emerald?

hipvirgochick

Specifically, I'm looking for the inexpensive artisan type silver jewelry (necklaces, bracelets, rings) which include semi-precious stones, cut or rough (garnet, tourmaline, citron, aquamarine, peridot, etc. or amber which I realize is not a stone). The sapphire and emerald are considered precious, and a little out of my budget as far as gifts (although maybe a sapphire for myself as it's my birthsone). If anyone has other suggestions...?

rhkkmk

i would be inclinded to look in the markets and large stores like MBK...indian markets and street markets might have this type of thing....the hilltribes have some silver, but i don't remember any with stones...

try contacting the thai handicrafts assocaition