Repairing ornamental gold in Thailand

[orientalist]

I have a gold necklace (sentimental value) that the gf wears. The big clasp for pendants has broken and a bit of it is missing. The gold shop we went to today said nobody sells those clasps and they can't make one. Doesn't sound right to me. They wanted us to trade our necklace in for a new necklace with clasp and pay 1,500 baht.

Anyone know of a Bangkok shop where I could just change the clasp or have one made?

 

[CharlieH]

Had this many times and the only economical way is as already stated, trade it in pay 1400 for a swap.

 

Did exactly the same thing myself just last week, exactly same clasp issue, I think they do it on purpose. (Poor clasp)

[Iamfalang]

Happened to my bracelet, now I don't wear it anymore.    Interesting.   

[orientalist]

Their explanation was that any new clasp would have to make up the original weight of the necklace but I still don't see why they can't make a custom clasp that makes up the weight. And what do they do with a beautiful and unique necklace that is traded in - melt it down and start again?

[BangkokReady]

One of the hardest things to get used to in Thailand is the attitude that the customer is always wrong and whatever the seller/provider of service says goes.  Zero customer protection and monopoly (enforced by mafia) is the norm.

 

It's so bizarre that they won't just fix the thing.  I guess buying and selling gold is so prevalent that the actual sentimental value of an item is nil.  But, as you say, why not make it the right weight?!!  It must have been the right weight to start with!

 

No advice to give you as I know nothing about this, but damn I would be annoyed by this.

 

It's probably one of those all too common situations in Thailand where there is no rule but people just don't want to do the work or risk going against the flow.

 

I would keep trying and consider sending gf alone, in case seeing a foreigner makes them see Baht signs.

[owl sees all]

 

Can these clasps not be bought on the internet?

 

And generally; how much cheaper is it to buy gold on the www?

[Denim]

There is a cheap alternative option .

 

In Big C and other big stores you see people selling fake gold bracelets for a couple of hundred baht. In appearance they are identical to the real thing. 

 

Buy one of these for a couple of hundred baht and use the clasp off it to repair your chain. You will even have a spare !. Nobody will notice the difference.

 

My wife has a couple in the bedside drawer in case we get a break in and rather than have the thief turn the place upside down looking for something we hope they will be satisfied with an easy find that they think they can turn into cash.

[lopburi3]

As 22k gold is sold by weight any alteration I suspect could be jail time for anyone selling or putting in pawn.  Even passing unknown fake bills can land a person in jail here.  Suspect replacement the safer option.  Gold is not just decretive here - it is cash.

[captnhoy]

My GF took a bracelet to a goldsmith at MBK.  We went for coffee and came back to get it same day.

[Iron Tongue]

Ornamental gold = plated gold?

Have you visited a silversmith to have a replacement made in silver?  If you are willing to leave that part in silver, perhaps the silversmith will do it for you.

[orientalist]

15 hours ago, Iron Tongue said:

Ornamental gold = plated gold?

Have you visited a silversmith to have a replacement made in silver?  If you are willing to leave that part in silver, perhaps the silversmith will do it for you.

By ornamental gold I meant 23K gold jewelry as opposed to gold bullion. The necklace is a status symbol for the gf so she would never agree to a "fake" clasp. As someone mentioned, Thais aren't really sentimental about possessions, and even less about the possessions of others.

[orientalist]

17 hours ago, captnhoy said:

My GF took a bracelet to a goldsmith at MBK.  We went for coffee and came back to get it same day.

Do you recall which floor or which shop? I've been told that gold repair shops as opposed to gold sellers will repair a clasp, but I guess in Bangkok that would mean a trip to Chinatown.

[Photoguy21]

In Future Park Rangsit near the gold shops this usually a guy who repairs gold jewellery. If you are around there see if he is there and let him have a look at the piece in question.

I have had stuff repaired by him. He did a really good job and was cheap.

[digbeth]

It's not that it's too cheap/small of  a weight to sell just the clasp, the shops do sell earrings that's probably just as small

 

maybe the clasp come as a set with the whole chain which is weight to the exact fraction of a baht weight, if they just took the clasp off the new chain, they'd be left with clasp less chain they can't sell and a whole accounting headache their tiny brain can't comprehend how to handle? 

 

which you could probably buy a  whole new chain, take just the clasp, then sell them back the rest of the new chain for them to melt down, you'd be hit with the difference between buying and selling price of the shop of course... They do buy broken chains all the time

[captnhoy]

I do not recall what floor but all the gold shops know of it. Just ask 

[Huayyai]

You can try  https://vymaps.com/TH/Garrard-Jeweller-Ltd-Part--664274/       ([email protected]).

 

A couple of years ago I have ordered a custom made pendant (in silver), great job.

Good luck!! 

[orientalist]

17 hours ago, captnhoy said:

I do not recall what floor but all the gold shops know of it. Just ask 

Very likely "Jewelry Clinic" on the 3rd floor. I found their details. many thanks.

[orientalist]

The end to this ridiculous story is after a day of tears and recriminations I sent a photo of the clasp to the MBK repair shop and they said they could fix it. Then the same day we were walking past some random gold shop at Imperial Samrong 1st floor and we saw a whole row of clasps. They had one the standard size for a 50-satang necklace and after trading the old one in for a new one the total cost was 232 baht.

[owl sees all]

 

Why bother with the gold shops? Much cheaper on the www.

 

 

Just so easy