Gold

[khunandy]

Hi all,

My wifes birthday is coming up and I would like to buy her gold, yes I know that Thai girls don't like gold much but dam_n it, she is just going to have to accept it.

Any previous gold purchases have been made by the missus with me standing over her shoulder wondering what it is all about, not really caring about it except for the final cost.

Now I want to buy her a surprise gift I realise I know nothing about how it works, what is the different grades and what is this business about 1 baht and 2 baht gold etc.

I was thinking about a necklace worth about 20,000 baht but are all those gaudy , red jewelry shops on the straight and narrow? Will I be suspectable to a rip off from a jeweler as soon as they realise in a nano second I am clueless?

Any basic "Gold buying for dummies" advice would be welcome.

Khun Andy

[yorkman]

Nice idea, you will be in the good books!

There are basically 2 grades of gold,. The normal jewelry on sale called Thai gold is 96% pure gold. Some of the higher class shops sell what they describe as "Sam Gow" otherwise 99.9% , as pure as you can get.

Both of these are very soft, as gold is, they are therefore not suitable for rings or heavy bracelets requiring a clasp fitting. It is normal then to add a % of alloy to make them stronger. They are then traded as K gold, generally 14k but sometimes 18k,the latter being 80% pure.

It is normal to dip these in a 96% gold solution, a process similar to electro plating to give them the deep yellow colour the Asians like. A reputable shop would normally have these items in a different display cabinet clearly labelled 14 or 18k.The plating is quite durable but will wear off in time.

It is sold by baht , the measure of weight, which is perhaps where you are confused.

Most of the pieces you see in the shops are pre-priced or are hanging together by weight. You will pay over the weight of the gold itself as it has been made up into jewelry.

To be frank though, given the current price of gold, even 20,000B will limit your choice.

Edited February 12, 2008 by yorkman

[khunandy]

Nice idea, you will be in the good books!

There are basically 2 grades of gold,. The normal jewelry on sale called Thai gold is 96% pure gold. Some of the higher class shops sell what they describe as "Sam Gow" otherwise 99.9% , as pure as you can get.

Both of these are very soft, as gold is, they are therefore not suitable for rings or heavy bracelets requiring a clasp fitting. It is normal then to add a % of alloy to make them stronger. They are then traded as K gold, generally 14k but sometimes 18k,the latter being 80% pure.

It is normal to dip these in a 96% gold solution, a process similar to electro plating to give them the deep yellow colour the Asians like. A reputable shop would normally have these items in a different display cabinet clearly labelled 14 or 18k.The plating is quite durable but will wear off in time.

It is sold by baht , the measure of weight, which is perhaps where you are confused.

Most of the pieces you see in the shops are pre-priced or are hanging together by weight. You will pay over the weight of the gold itself as it has been made up into jewelry.

To be frank though, given the current price of gold, even 20,000B will limit your choice.

Thanks for that explanation Yorkman. Yes, its been a couple of years since the last gold purchase and I believe it has gone up considerably.

Maybe I better have a few gin and tonics before embarking on the shopping to loosen up the purse strings a bit.

So I gather that they are marked prices and not for negotiation, I hope so because I am a lousy negotiator, unless i have had a few of the aforementioned drinks.

Khun Andy

[thaihome]

At current prices, which I think are around 14k baht right now, he would not even be able to get a 2 baht piece for 20k, which is a very thin necklace chain.

TH

Edited February 12, 2008 by thaihome

[khunandy]

At current prices, which I think are around 14k baht right now, he would not even be able to get a 2 baht piece for 20k, which is a very thin necklace chain.

TH

Hmmmmm, wonder if she still likes roses