Precious materials, skilled hands, and trading cities.
Gold and gems meet in Thailand's markets and workshops. Each has its own history, skills, and ways of describing value.
Thai gold
Gold has a place in Thai trade and ceremony. Yaowarat Road is lined with gold shops. The deep-yellow jewelry sold there is often linked to 96.5 percent purity. Gold weight is given in baht, which is a weight unit as well as the name of the currency. A shop price also includes the work of making a piece and the gap between its buying and selling rates.
Gemstones and Chanthaburi
Chanthaburi grew as a gem centre through mining, cutting, heat treatment, and trade. Stones now arrive from far beyond the area. Bangkok adds labs, makers, wholesale trade, and fairs. These places connect the stone in the ground with the finished piece in a shop.