Hi rhkkmk,

I would like the earrings to be about 1 ct each.

While you are at it Bob, I would like mine to be 1.5 carats!

use this website for estimates on what something might cost in a thai jewlery store.
Always bargain and use "Kathie from Seattle" at SJ Jewelers to get a great discount

http://digbig.com/4ngsq

you have to navigate thru the site to see what you want

Aloha!

thanks for the link...

your stuff is in the mail!!

Hawaiiantraveler,

you said to use SJ's website to get an idea of what prices would be but then you say always bargain - so do you have any idea what the prices on SJ's website is versus how much you can get the prices down to by bargaining...of course, I am only asking for a rough estimate (I understand each piece would vary) but would you say 15%, 25%, 30%, 50%???? just trying to get a rough idea. One fodorite said that he was able to get the price of his wife's bracelet down by 50% (this was not from SJ) ... was wondering if this was common in BKK (or SJ)...thanks

They quote me the "wholesale" price, so there is no bargaining. If you use my name, you should get the best price. I find I can buy jewelry for about one-half the US wholesale price (one-fourth of the regular retail price).

Kathie, if SJ quoted me retail $1800 (without me saying that Kathie from Seattle sent me), how much do you think the wholesale price is?

Kathie, sorry, I forgot to mention that the $1800 price SJ quoted me is the same price as how much I can get back home....so if your rule of thumb works (1/4 of the regular retail price), I should be able to talk them down to $450? Does it seem realistic to be able to bargain 75% off? Thanks...any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated as this jewelry shopping in BKK is all new to me.

If you use my name, you'll get the best price, no further bargaining.

How did you get the price quoted? website? If so, i would expect that those prices would be "international" prices... not at all the same as being at the store in Bangkok.

Halliburton, let me make sure you have the info from my other posts about jewelry-buying. Sapphires and rubies are the real bargain in Bangkok. My one-fourth retail rule of thumb does not apply to other kinds of jewelry, though you can get good deals on other jewelry.

I'm also not sure what you are comparing to say you can get the same thing in the US for $1800. When you compare, you need to make sure you are getting the same quality of sapphire as well as the same size, same purity of gold in the setting, etc.

Kathie, yes...the prices were quoted by email and you are right, the price is "international" (since it's the same price as I get at home). But this is good b/c now I have a good idea of how much it should be when I get to BKK (I will use the Kathie rule of thumb to get an idea - one fourth of the international price). Great advice, Thanks!

Kathie, I must have been typing up my last response to you while you sent your last msg.

Yes, this is sapphire necklace. Similar size, quality, same purity of gold, etc. I sent SJ a photo with detailed description of the piece. Then they quoted me by email.

Good luck with your jewelry shopping! (Do make sure you call them for hotel pick-up, and ask for Lily when you are at the store.)

Thanks Kathie. I will extremely pleased if I can get it for 1/4 of the retail price here.

Are pearls or opals good buys there?

As I mentioned in my previous post...I got 50% off of SJ's Bangkok retail price on my sapphire pendant. In the U.S. it would go for 3-4 times the Bnagkok price...retail... in a regular jewelry store and 4-5 times the Bangkok price in an upscale U.S. jewelry store. I went to 5 appraisers...here at home... and had informal appraisals done as a formal appraisal runs around US$250. and the item would have to be sent out to a lab. But, my jeweler looked at my piece VERY closely and said that I had done VERY well. He was the one who told me how much it would run here in the U.S. Happy Travels!

Thanks Guenami
The photo of the sapphire pendant I had sent to SJ with full detailed description (i.e. size, cut, colour, quality of the sapphire, gold, etc.) was from a fancy jewelry store here. Oddly enough, SJ reponded via email with a quote very close to how much the fancy jewelry store here was charging so Kathie was bang on when she said that SJ had quoted me an "international" price. Hopefully, my trip to BKK will result in a much lower price for my necklace. At least I know have a general idea from both you and Kathie of how much less it should cost me when I am shopping in person in BKK. It sounds like one-fourth the price rule of thumb worked with you as well. I have imagining what your yellow sapphire necklace looks like since you first posted comments about it. I hope you are enjoying it. THANKS AGAIN!