Gold Jewelry Necklaces etc

[Guest]

On my next trip I want to buy a few gold necklaces and earrings to bring back with me for gifts. Where is the place to shop for these items? Do you negotiate the price or is it set?

Thanks

[samak]

yaowarat (china town) has many gold shops; used ones you pay per weight; new ones weight and a fee for handycraft (200, 500 or 1000 baht depending on size); note that gold is different to western countries (softer, more yellow).

[colonel Kurtz]

There area quite an array of "pearl necklaces"to be found in most areas of the LOS.

[New Petchburi Pete]

It seems to me that most shops selling gold

jewelry in BKK are run by Chinese merchants.

I would stay away from the Sukhumvit area and also MBK, as prices for similar pieces are considerably cheaper in Thai neighborhoods.

[Guest]

raul

gold jewelery in thailand is a commodity, much like forex- there is a buy/sell price so usually there is little room for bargaining- they may discount the "artwork fee" 50 baht- bring cash- if you use charge cards you'll pay 10 percent more (vat and credit card fee)-

[Lamock Chokaprret]

quote:

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"there is a buy/sell price so usually there is little room for bargaining- they may discount the "artwork fee" 50 baht"

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Quite true. You can get a discount on the handiwork fee. The discount will generally be more on larger items because the merchant has more working room.

[Guest]

Standard Thai bracelets and necklaces are, as the poster said above, based on the gold plus 200 - 400 Baht per Baht of gold for craftsmanship.(Baht of gold explained later). They can be taken to any store and sold back or used as a downpayment on a bigger piece. The unit of measurement (instead of ozs) is the Baht (I have no idea how much weight a Baht is) and a Baht of gold is currently selling for 5,750 Baht (On the front page of the BKK Post Business section daily). The jewelry usually comes in 1, Baht, 2 Baht, etc sizes. So, a 2 Baht necklace or bracelet would be 11,500 Baht (2 x 5750)plus 400 or 500 Baht for craftsmanship. You can usually negotiate a very little on the craftsmanship price unless it is too high in which case...bargain away. They are usually going to want to add 3% if you use a credit card to buy as that increases their cost and their margin is thin.

The gold shop on the corner of Sukhumvit and soi 10 operates on volume and their first price is usually better than the first price at Mah Boon Krong....Haven't checked prices in Chinatown.

So tell me, why is the gold yellower over here. Is it because it is 23 carat or is it a different metal they mix with?

[sky brow]

Check out what you want to buy first and think about getting a thai to purchase the items for you.Unless you speak good Thai and can haggle well,even then you possibly would still pay falang price.Buy away from tourist areas.

Flo from OZ.

[Guest]

Wait a second here...If the gold is 23 carat and 24 carat is 100% then something is wrong. Because something the size of a 2 Baht necklace would weigh a lot more than it does and cost a hell of a lot more if it was almost pure gold.

Does anybody know for sure that these things are 23 carat..And what, exaclty is a Baht of gold?.I really don't know that much about it. Anybody out there who is knowledgeable?

[sinsin2]

All Baht Gold Jewelry is at least 96% pure gold or 23k. Small amounts of selected metals are added to enhance hardness and durability

 

one Baht is equal to 15.2 grams of gold or just slightly more that half an ounce. Baht Gold always comes in multiples or common fractions of one Baht (15.2 grams).