Wearing Gold - Classy Or Classless

[JustAnotherFarang]

Hi

I would really like to know the opinions of both thais and farangs as to what they think about people, or moreso thai ladies wearing considerable amounts of gold ie a 1 bht bracelet and a 1 bht necklace on a regular day to day basis. Do you think that it exudes class or do you think that it cheapens the person or do you have any other opinions of your own that you would like to share with me.

Any and all opinions are appreciated

JAF

[stumonster]

I think it just advertises them as a target for some idiot to rob them - many women have been assaulted and robbed , some suffering serious injury or death in the process , for the gold they are wearing.

[rio666uk]

personally i dont like farrangs or thais going over the top with wearing gold...

in the UK its generally considered to be tacky if you see someone dripping in gold, be they rich or poor...

in Thailand it seems like a split opinion between someone whos showing off their material wealth, whos got money to burn, a rich boyfriend and those that say it looks tacky..

i cant be arsed to go into it anymore - because, as we all know, after the first few replies, this will turn into a bargirl thread and then get closed.

hopefully not, but....

[girlx]

my thai friend says that if you don't wear gold you are not seen as human in thailand, which to me represents flawed priorities. i personally don't like gold, it doesn't go well with western skintones and it looks sort of cheap to me.

[JustAnotherFarang]

I think it just advertises them as a target for some idiot to rob them - many women have been assaulted and robbed , some suffering serious injury or death in the process , for the gold they are wearing.

Yes thats quite true although is it an idiot who steals the gold or the person who is advertising the fact that they are wearing something so easily stolen.........guess the same things could be said about ipods and even the latest training shoes........but I digress

What I really want to know is your opinion of whether you think it is classy or classless to wear gold nowadays. What is your perception of people who wear gold on a day to day basis. Does it elevate their status or enhance their appearance. Do the hi so set wear gold everyday or is it something that the lower class wear to purport that they have lots of money.........these are the opinions I am hoping to hear

Cheers

JAF

[the scouser]

In addition to the robbery concerns, there is also a strong suggestion of "fur coat but no knickers".

Scouse.

[Pudgimelon]

I wear a two-baht gold chain given to me by my wife's mother on our wedding day. It has a buddha amulet on it, which is also trimmed in gold.

It is perfectly fine to wear gold, according to my wife, however, she does not like it when it happens to fall out from the inside of my shirt. She considers it a bit classless to openly display too much gold (pimp-daddy styling).

Most of the really rich people I know don't wear any gold at all. I was reading an article recently about watches that mentioned something similar. While the upper-middle-class yearns for the trappings of wealth (like a rolex), many of the super rich go for the exact opposite. I think George Bush wears a Timex and Bill Gates has an old Casio.

So I guess the rule of thumb would be: displaying a little bit of gold is fine, as long as it's discreet, displaying too much probably means you're trying to hard to LOOK rich, and displaying none at all either means you're poor or you're fabulously wealthy and don't need to display it because everybody already knows it.

[meadish_sweetball]

Fat gold rings, bracelets or necklaces don't look good combined with everyday clothes IMO. To me it looks like bragging or trying too hard.

If a person has made an effort to dress up for a gala event or a wedding, it can look fine though.

[sierra01]

The threat to health aside, what about medallion man? Looks a right plonker! Is plonker suitable for a woman as well?

If you need to flaunt it then insecurity comes to mind, mental insecurity.

[tavarich]

A little goes a long way

[Boo]

A small bracelet & chain is ok IMO (anything discreet), but when it starts to be layering of chains, tons of rings on each finger & bangles & bracelets galour I think it starts to look really chavvy & ott, not to mention advertising yourself as a taget for would be theives.

I don't think thais treat you differently if you wear gold, I know the MIL & various aunts don't wear any of thier gold but dress well with neat hair & good manners & they are well respected members of their community.

[Doza]

Yellow gold you see in the Chinese shops - classless. Classy or hi-so Thais wear real jewelry.

[Losangels]

Status and appearance are very important in Thailand. Generally speaking the more gold/jewelry you wear shows financial status.

Driving a Mecedes Benz shows status or apparent status. Thailand is either the third or fourth in the world in term of sales of Mecedes.

Welcome to Thailand.

[sierra01]

Status and appearance are very important in Thailand. Generally speaking the more gold/jewelry you wear shows financial status.

Driving a Mecedes Benz shows status or apparent status. Thailand is either the third or fourth in the world in term of sales of Mecedes.

Welcome to Thailand.

Still doesn't impress me.

[Boo]

Me either

[steveromagnino]

Yellow gold you see in the Chinese shops - classless. Classy or hi-so Thais wear real jewelry.

So do you know any of these classy or Hiso Thais then?!

You mean the ones who wear gold, or the ones wearing the even more gaudy diamonds?!

my thai friend says that if you don't wear gold you are not seen as human in thailand, which to me represents flawed priorities. i personally don't like gold, it doesn't go well with western skintones and it looks sort of cheap to me.

Not having met your friend I cannot be sure of the context in which this was said, but I cannot think of ANY Thai group where the majority would say this - very rich, very poor, middle.

however, I do agree that showing some elements of wealth is commonplace in Thailand and other Asian countries; not just gold but also watches, wearing nice clothes and brand names and the like. In a class society this is commonplace, to show where you stand in the scheme of things. And yes, it is somewhat flawed. But at least gold is an investment of sorts with a solid secondary market. Diamonds are a scam with much higher mark ups.

[samran]

I think CHAVVY is the word we are all looking for.

[sierra01]

I think CHAVVY is the word we are all looking for.

Chavvy? Where do you hail from Samran?

[Boo]

samran has spent a while in the Uk where the chav movement is very strong

[gburns57au]

I think layers of gold on farangs is crass.....on Thai women or any woman...it is upto them, some like it and some dont.

Ask your Thai lady but remember that when a Thai says "Class"....it usually turns out as "Crass"

[sbk]

None of the really rich Thais I know deck themselves out in gold. Only nouveau riche or those who wear their savings on their bodies.

[Doza]

Yellow gold you see in the Chinese shops - classless. Classy or hi-so Thais wear real jewelry.

So do you know any of these classy or Hiso Thais then?!

You mean the ones who wear gold, or the ones wearing the even more gaudy diamonds?!

I know one or two and I see sh1t loads every day. They for sure aren't wearing tacky yellow gold jewelry nor are they looking gaudy in anything. Remember - class not crass.

I think CHAVVY is the word we are all looking for.

Exactly!

[kenk3z]

In Europe I believe people are taught by their families to hide their wealth to avoid crime. In America I believe this is the same for old-school wealth.

The Thai folks I see in America all treat each other politely (for the most part) but I see them try to separate themselves at formal events. Katin at the temple is one example. The rich who give a lot sit at the front (or in the front section) and the "common" people sit in the back. I took a few pictures of the "front" group and you can see gold rings, necklaces and the like down the whole row.

I know someone in the "common" group donated a Mercedes M-class. Someone else my wife talks to in the "common" class gave $4000 and that was probably a lot for them. Boggles my mind what it must take for a donation to get into the "rich" group.

We gave about $100. That'll about do it for us every year and we'll enjoy our "common" status nicely, thank you........

kenk3z

[Glauka]

maybe is a cultural thing

Spanish gypsis love to wearlots of gold and if is big and shiny the better...

i think is to show in which level of the hierarchy you are (not sure though)

[samran]

samran has spent a while in the Uk where the chav movement is very strong

Innit? Look like a right minger with all that gold

[Boo]

ah nah wat ya mean mate, right pikey innit

[Savage]

Too much gold spell pikey in my book.

[skippybangkok]

Well, depends how high up the ladder you go. Generally the have nots who want to present them selves as haves, exaggerate as much as they can - like a christmas tree ............... the haves generally wear very little in terms of yellow gold, and at times, very little jewelry. Titanium and Platinum seem to be the mode.

[samran]

ah nah wat ya mean mate, right pikey innit

Sorry, but my 'English' isn't so good!

Is it possible to have a mingin' Pikey?

[DJ Pat]

I think we can normally work out who is poor trying to look rich or who is really rich. All the same I think it's tacky when people feel they need tp try and show everyone their gold. I hope they get robbed personally.