Chanthaburi gem fair in Phuket

PHUKET TOWN: A gem and jewelry fair at Central Festival Phuket is doing brisk business, with some shops reporting sales of more than 500,000 baht on the first day.

The Chanthaburi Gems & Jewelry Fair, organized by the Chanthaburi Commerce Office, will run until January 20 in the Grand Hall at Central Festival. From January 21 to 25 the fair will be held at the Port Arena zone at Jungceylon in Patong, open daily from 11am to 9:30pm.

Saifon Laengla of the Chanthaburi Commerce Office said response has been very good, with some shops reporting around 600,000 baht in sales on Thursday, the first day of the fair.

Twenty-two shops from Chantaburi are displaying and selling jewelry at the event. The province is renowned for its experienced craftsmen and the elaborately cut gemstones they produce.

Free services at the fair include an examination and evaluation booth.

Precious stones and jewelry on sale at the fair range in value from as little as 1,000 baht to more than one million baht.

Those who buy jewelry worth more than 2,000 baht get a raffle ticket and the chance to win two prizes worth at least 3,000 baht each in a lucky draw held at 8pm each night of the fair.

Nusara Keratiphochanan, owner of Chettana Jewelry in Chanthaburi, said, “We have joined this event because we want people to trust and appreciate Chanthaburi’s high-quality precious stones and some of the finest jewelry craftsmanship in the world. All of us are jewelry producers selling directly to the consumers at very reasonable prices,” she said.

“Before, small and medium-sized pieces sold well, but in the current economy demand for them is down. Demand for larger pieces remains strong, which shows rich people haven’t been affected much by the current economic crisis. On the contrary, it is a good time for them to buy jewelry for their children and grandchildren because prices are low at the moment. It is a good investment because the value of this jewelry always goes up in the long term,” she said.

Assessing the value of jewelry is a specialist field beyond the ability of most people outside the industry, she said.

Some shops will buy back jewelry sold to consumers, but only pieces bought from their own shop. For this reason she suggests buyers demand signed guarantee cards specifying the name and address of the shop, product codes, gold weight, jewelry type and related information.

— Atchaa Khamlo