Why-Thailand.com Shopping for Gold, Silver, Gems, Jewelery, Silk, Clothing, Teak and Pottery in Thailand

Thailand Shopping:

Huge air-conditioned malls are filled with souvenir and gift shops in most cities. Some malls are devoted to a single category, like the Bangkok River City complex with its dozens of antique shops. Many hotels have luxury gift and jewellery boutiques. Bangkok's Chatuchak Weekend Market and Chiang Mai's Night Market offer thousands of items.
Most stores accept major credit cards and prices are fixed. With market and street vendors, expect to bargain with cash. Don't worry about language problems; vendors will tap out a price on their calculators; you tap in a counter offer.
Most shops can send goods to your home via reliable shippers.
Courtesy of Thai Airways

Wood, bronze, terra-cotta, and stone statues from Thailand and Burma are found in Bangkok and Chiang Mai antique shops. Although Buddha images are the principal subjects, their export is banned by the Thai government However, there are numerous deities, disciples, wooden angels, mythical animals, temple bargeboards, and eave brackets which can be shipped overseas. With genuine antiques in increasingly short supply, Thailand's artisans have turned to creating copies. Deities, animals, children, betalnut boxes, and others in a variety of finishes are very popular. Top

Best known is celadon, a glazed jade green, dark green, brown and cobalt blue porcelain made into statues, lamps, ashtrays distinguished by their crazed surfaces. Sawankhaloke brown pottery with its twin fish originated in the 13th century town of the same name near Sukhothai. Blue-and-white porcelain includes pots, lamp bases, household items and figurines. Bencharong (five colour) porcelain derived from 16th-century Chinese art. The piece is rendered in five colours, usually green, blue, yellow, rose, and black. Earthenware pots, planters, and dinner sets come in a rainbow of hues and designs. Brown glazed Shanghai water jars bearing yellow dragons make excellent planters. Top

Tailors fashion Thai fabrics into stylish mens and ladies clothes. Provide them with a magazine illustration or browse through their fashion catalogues and allow time for several fittings. Many offer a good quality two piece suit and custom silk shirt for $99 US, within 24-48 hours. Once they have your measurements, you can order more from your home country.
In northern markets, find hilltribe jackets, dark blue farmers' shirts, and casual clothes. In most cities and towns, markets and street vendors offer well-cut shirts, blouses, and T-shirts off the rack for bargain prices. Top

Thai silk is synonymous with Thai Airways and Thailand. Sold in a rainbow of colours, its hallmark is the tiny nubs which, like embossing, rise from its shimmering surface. "Mudmee", an attractive tie-dye silk, is ideal for formal attire. Sold in plain or printed lengths or cut into dresses. and shirts. Cotton is popular for shirts and dresses since it "breathes" in Thailand's hot, humid air. Top

Teak, rosewood and rattan furniture is available in many styles and finishes. Chiang Mai workshops specialise in carved furniture, especially floral patterns rendered in natural hues or in whitewashed finishes and pastel colours. Shops can ship your purchases anywhere. Top

Thailand is a leading producer of sapphires and the world's largest cutter of coloured stones. Artisans also craft jewelery to suit international tastes. In addition, light green Burmese jade is carved into jewellery and art objects. Ask for a certificate of authenticity as required by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Costume jewellery is also popular. Top

Hmong, Mien, Lisu, Lahu, Akha, Karen tribes produce brightly-coloured needlepoint cloth in geometric and floral patterns to decorate shirts, coats, bags, and other clothing items. Hill Tribe silver work is valued less for its silver content (low) than for the intricate work and imagination that goes into crafting it. Other hilltribe items include knives, baskets, pipes and a gourd flute that sounds like a bagpipe. The Hill Tribe Productions Foundation, under the patronage of King Bhumibol, aids hilltribe families in preserving their craft traditions by providing them a market for their products. Her Majesty Queen Sirikit works with aged craftsmen to train village youth to produce rare crafts that were previously in danger of disappearing. Top

Presentation trays and containers as well as plaques bearing classical scenes are rendered in mother-of-pearl. Thailand's handcrafted artificial flowers and fruits are made of natural and synthetic fabrics and paper. Animals, containers, vases, screens and tables are crafted in papier mache as gifts and home decorations. Crushed seashells are applied to lampshades, boxes and picture frames. Thai painters produce everything from realistic to abstract art, but excel at depictions of everyday village life and re-interpretations of classical Buddhist themes. Burmese in origin and style, "kalaga" wall hangings (and even baseball caps) depict gods, kings and mythical animals. Top

Lacquer Ware, a northern Thailand speciality, comes in two varieties: gleaming gold and black normally seen on temple shutters, and a matte red type with black and/or green details. Look for ornate containers and trays, wooden figurines, woven bamboo baskets and Burmese-inspired Buddhist manuscripts. Top

Bronze deities, characters from the Ramakhien, deer, and abstract figures, some two metres tall, are annealed with gleaming brass. Brass cutlery is available in a variety of designs. Silver and gold are pounded into jewellery, boxes and other decorative pieces and are often set with gems. To create neilloware boxes and receptacles, a design is incised in silver and sometimes gold. The background is cut away and filled with an amalgam of dark metals providing a dark background against which the figures stand in high relief. Top

Phuket produces international-standard natural, cultured, Mob (teardrop), and artificial pearls (made from pearl dust glued to form a globule). Top

Thailand is the world's third largest tin exporter and most of the metal comes from Phuket where pewterware--an amalgam of lead and tin--is an ancient craft. Prices for steins, plates, and other items are far lower than in Europe. Top

Artists work from live sittings or photographs to create superb charcoal or oil portraits. A family photograph from home can be transformed into a painting. Top

Papier mache masked drama masks make handsome cabinet decorations. Shadow puppets cut from the hides of water buffaloes and displayed on backlit screens in open-air theatres tell the Ramakhien story. A close relative are the brightly-coloured Nang Thalung Southern shadow puppets. Top

The Fine Arts Department prohibits the export of all Buddha images, many images of other deities, and fragments (hands or heads) of images created before the 18th century. Shops can register other art objects for you. Otherwise, take it to the Fine Arts Department in Bangkok on Na Prathat Road across from Sanam Luang, together with two postcard-sized photos of it. The export fee ranges between 50 and 200 baht, depending on the antiquity of the piece.
Also, check first with your own embassy regarding regulations on the import of agricultural products like fruits or orchid seedlings. Top

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Thailand Shopping:
Huge air-conditioned malls are filled with souvenir and gift shops in most cities. Some malls are devoted to a single category, like the Bangkok River City complex with its dozens of antique shops. Many hotels have luxury gift and jewellery boutiques. Bangkok's Chatuchak Weekend Market and Chiang Mai's Night Market offer thousands of items. Most stores accept major credit cards and prices are fixed. With market and street vendors, expect to bargain with cash. Don't worry about language problems; vendors will tap out a price on their calculators; you tap in a counter offer. Most shops can send goods to your home via reliable shippers.
Antiques Baskets Ceramics Clothing Fabrics - Silk and Cotton Furniture Gems and Jewelery Hill Tribe Crafts Home Decor Items	Lacquer Ware Metal Art Objects Pearls Pewter Portraits Theatre Art Objects Umbrellas and Fans Prohibited Export and Import Items
Antiques
Wood, bronze, terra-cotta, and stone statues from Thailand and Burma are found in Bangkok and Chiang Mai antique shops. Although Buddha images are the principal subjects, their export is banned by the Thai government However, there are numerous deities, disciples, wooden angels, mythical animals, temple bargeboards, and eave brackets which can be shipped overseas. With genuine antiques in increasingly short supply, Thailand's artisans have turned to creating copies. Deities, animals, children, betalnut boxes, and others in a variety of finishes are very popular. Top
Baskets
Thailand's abundant wicker and grasses are transformed into lamps, storage boxes, tables, colourful mats, handbags, letter holders, tissue boxes, and slippers. Wicker and bamboo become storage lockers, and furniture; shops can provide the cushions. "Yan lipao", a sturdy grass the thickness of a broomstraw, is woven into delicately-patterned purses and bags for formal occasions. Top
Ceramics
Best known is celadon, a glazed jade green, dark green, brown and cobalt blue porcelain made into statues, lamps, ashtrays distinguished by their crazed surfaces. Sawankhaloke brown pottery with its twin fish originated in the 13th century town of the same name near Sukhothai. Blue-and-white porcelain includes pots, lamp bases, household items and figurines. Bencharong (five colour) porcelain derived from 16th-century Chinese art. The piece is rendered in five colours, usually green, blue, yellow, rose, and black. Earthenware pots, planters, and dinner sets come in a rainbow of hues and designs. Brown glazed Shanghai water jars bearing yellow dragons make excellent planters. Top
Clothing
Tailors fashion Thai fabrics into stylish mens and ladies clothes. Provide them with a magazine illustration or browse through their fashion catalogues and allow time for several fittings. Many offer a good quality two piece suit and custom silk shirt for $99 US, within 24-48 hours. Once they have your measurements, you can order more from your home country. In northern markets, find hilltribe jackets, dark blue farmers' shirts, and casual clothes. In most cities and towns, markets and street vendors offer well-cut shirts, blouses, and T-shirts off the rack for bargain prices. Top
Fabrics - Silk and Cotton
Thai silk is synonymous with Thai Airways and Thailand. Sold in a rainbow of colours, its hallmark is the tiny nubs which, like embossing, rise from its shimmering surface. "Mudmee", an attractive tie-dye silk, is ideal for formal attire. Sold in plain or printed lengths or cut into dresses. and shirts. Cotton is popular for shirts and dresses since it "breathes" in Thailand's hot, humid air. Top
Furniture
Teak, rosewood and rattan furniture is available in many styles and finishes. Chiang Mai workshops specialise in carved furniture, especially floral patterns rendered in natural hues or in whitewashed finishes and pastel colours. Shops can ship your purchases anywhere. Top
Gems and Jewelery
Thailand is a leading producer of sapphires and the world's largest cutter of coloured stones. Artisans also craft jewelery to suit international tastes. In addition, light green Burmese jade is carved into jewellery and art objects. Ask for a certificate of authenticity as required by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Costume jewellery is also popular. Top
Hill Tribe Crafts
Hmong, Mien, Lisu, Lahu, Akha, Karen tribes produce brightly-coloured needlepoint cloth in geometric and floral patterns to decorate shirts, coats, bags, and other clothing items. Hill Tribe silver work is valued less for its silver content (low) than for the intricate work and imagination that goes into crafting it. Other hilltribe items include knives, baskets, pipes and a gourd flute that sounds like a bagpipe. The Hill Tribe Productions Foundation, under the patronage of King Bhumibol, aids hilltribe families in preserving their craft traditions by providing them a market for their products. Her Majesty Queen Sirikit works with aged craftsmen to train village youth to produce rare crafts that were previously in danger of disappearing. Top
Home Decor Items
Presentation trays and containers as well as plaques bearing classical scenes are rendered in mother-of-pearl. Thailand's handcrafted artificial flowers and fruits are made of natural and synthetic fabrics and paper. Animals, containers, vases, screens and tables are crafted in papier mache as gifts and home decorations. Crushed seashells are applied to lampshades, boxes and picture frames. Thai painters produce everything from realistic to abstract art, but excel at depictions of everyday village life and re-interpretations of classical Buddhist themes. Burmese in origin and style, "kalaga" wall hangings (and even baseball caps) depict gods, kings and mythical animals. Top
Lacquer Ware
Lacquer Ware, a northern Thailand speciality, comes in two varieties: gleaming gold and black normally seen on temple shutters, and a matte red type with black and/or green details. Look for ornate containers and trays, wooden figurines, woven bamboo baskets and Burmese-inspired Buddhist manuscripts. Top
Metal Art Objects
Bronze deities, characters from the Ramakhien, deer, and abstract figures, some two metres tall, are annealed with gleaming brass. Brass cutlery is available in a variety of designs. Silver and gold are pounded into jewellery, boxes and other decorative pieces and are often set with gems. To create neilloware boxes and receptacles, a design is incised in silver and sometimes gold. The background is cut away and filled with an amalgam of dark metals providing a dark background against which the figures stand in high relief. Top
Pearls
Phuket produces international-standard natural, cultured, Mob (teardrop), and artificial pearls (made from pearl dust glued to form a globule). Top
Pewter
Thailand is the world's third largest tin exporter and most of the metal comes from Phuket where pewterware--an amalgam of lead and tin--is an ancient craft. Prices for steins, plates, and other items are far lower than in Europe. Top
Portraits
Artists work from live sittings or photographs to create superb charcoal or oil portraits. A family photograph from home can be transformed into a painting. Top
Theatre Art Objects
Papier mache masked drama masks make handsome cabinet decorations. Shadow puppets cut from the hides of water buffaloes and displayed on backlit screens in open-air theatres tell the Ramakhien story. A close relative are the brightly-coloured Nang Thalung Southern shadow puppets. Top
Umbrellas and Fans
Perhaps Chiang Mai's most famous product, Chiang Mai umbrellas are hand-painted with nature scenes. Some are four metres in diameter, large enough to shade a patio table. Materials vary from cotton and silk to "sah" paper made from pounded tree bark, one of the oldest papers known. Silk fans, large and small, serve as wall decorations. Top
Prohibited Export and Import Items
The Fine Arts Department prohibits the export of all Buddha images, many images of other deities, and fragments (hands or heads) of images created before the 18th century. Shops can register other art objects for you. Otherwise, take it to the Fine Arts Department in Bangkok on Na Prathat Road across from Sanam Luang, together with two postcard-sized photos of it. The export fee ranges between 50 and 200 baht, depending on the antiquity of the piece. Also, check first with your own embassy regarding regulations on the import of agricultural products like fruits or orchid seedlings. Top

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