Having decided to bring back a precious souvenir, no matter to whom – as a gift or for yourself – you need to know about certain subtleties when purchasing such items.
Do not rely on buying a natural stone somewhere on the beach. Yes, the little crystals that are hawked and offered to everyone there are very beautiful, they shine wonderfully... But! Their authenticity should be doubted first and foremost. Of course, if you really like something and are not bothered by the fact that it is ordinary glass, you can buy such a trinket, but it should cost accordingly.
For real stones, you should go to a reputable jewelry store. Even if the price there sometimes stings, the authenticity of the purchased item will leave no doubt. Certainly, you can still buy a fake in such an establishment, but the chances of being deceived are much lower.
When choosing an item, you should first pay attention to the stones themselves. The main criteria for the quality of precious stones are: color, clarity, hardness, cut, and weight. The ideal color of a diamond is white, a ruby is blood-red, a flawless sapphire will be velvet-blue, and an emerald should be deep green. The clarity of stones can be determined using a 10x magnifying glass. If no inclusions are visible at such magnification, the stone can be considered clean. Conversely, if there are small (and sometimes large) inclusions, the quality of the stone decreases, as does its price.
The hardness of a stone is determined using a special device. But if you don't have one, you just need to remember that the hardness of diamond is 10, ruby and sapphire is 9. Without going into details, we can also add that diamonds, sapphires, and rubies scratch glass while remaining intact. The quality of the cut can only be assessed by a professional. We can only examine the stone closely with a magnifying glass.
And perhaps the most important evaluation criterion is the weight of the stone. The unit of weight for stones is 1 carat. When converted to the metric system, it equals 200 mg. The heavier the stone, the more expensive it is. Never confuse carat as a unit of weight with carat as a fineness! In many countries, particularly in Thailand, the fineness of gold is measured in carats. This is a completely different 'carat'. To be brief, 9-carat gold corresponds to Russian 375 fineness gold, 10-carat to 416, 14-carat to 583, 18-carat to 750. The fineness is marked on items as 10K, 14K, etc. If the jewelry has a 'solid gold' marking, it is made of pure gold; if it has 'yellow (white) gold finish' or 'yellow (white) gold plating', the item is gold-plated and inside is silver or a jewelry alloy.
Sometimes they offer to buy a synthetic stone; in that case, do not think it is of low quality. In physical and chemical properties, it exactly replicates the natural counterpart. The only difference is that it is made by humans. Often even experienced jewelers cannot distinguish a synthetic stone from a natural one. Whether to buy it or not is up to you, but keep in mind that a synthetic stone is several times cheaper.
Another tip – haggle. And during this exciting process, pay attention to how quickly the seller lowers the price. If it decreases exponentially, it is a reason to think, because a natural, properly cut stone with good characteristics has a stable price.
Some doubt whether it is worth buying items with precious stones in Thailand at all? Of course, it is. After all, by following simple rules, you will purchase an excellent piece of jewelry that you are unlikely to see on anyone else. And moreover, at home, the price of such an item would be several times higher. So, happy shopping and good spirits!
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