Back to Thailand
Melanie and I are back in what feels like "home" for now- Bangkok. I am not sure how a girl from the rural Philippines or a guy from rural Ohio comes to find a Southeast Asian city of nearly 20 million people home, but it's nice to be back to the noodle soup, the familiar surroundings, and seeing old friends.
So what is on the agenda this time around? So far we are getting the most requests for pearls- both South Seas and Chinese freshwater. If you have the old notion that freshwater pearls are not round, not large, and ugly- well, let's just say that times have changed.
There are a lot of options for people who want a fabulous strand of pearls in Tahitian or South Seas colors but who do not want to pay an exorbitant amount. Pearls are held in very high esteem in Asia and as such custom-length strands with custom clasps are not difficult to accomplish. Earrings to match in pistachio, peacock, or golden hues can be had as well.
Next in line is probably the collector or custom jewelry client who wants to take advantage of the calm in the wake of the political protests. Stone dealers are ready to sell now and at prices that allow me to move stones quickly. If you are looking for larger sized tanzanite, beautiful ruby or sapphire above one or two carats, or any collectible stone just let me know and I will do a survey of the market for you here in Thailand- no cost; no obligation. We are also still moving a good amount of colored stone melee for accent stones in jewelry. Sapphire is a constant favorite in yellows, oranges, pinks, and blues- but other stones sometimes hit the market in 1mm to 4mm sizes at great values. Right now Burmese spinel in saturated pink hues is common around 2mm size.
Tsavorite garnet is available in larger sizes now, and there is some spectacular imperial malaia garnet in the current market. If it has been out of reach in the past there is no reason not to let me know it is on your list. You never know what might pop up when the dealers are cleaning out the safe to try to stimulate some buying among the very, very few foreign buyers who are in town. The last horribly violent clash between protesters and government troops has kept most people away- tourists and business people alike.
We are sourcing diamonds very competitively now and whether you would like to use them as accents in a custom piece that we are building for you or you don't want to accept the other guy's price, we are more than happy to give you a quote on diamonds under 15 points. Our supply is strongest on stones that are rounds or baguettes and F-K colors and from VS to I1 which covers probably 95% of the accent stones used in jewelry. If you want something more exotic like heart shapes, bullets, or trapezoids we can do this as well if you are patient. It takes a while for the word to circulate and to get competitively priced stones on the rarer cuts. Note that we do both retail and wholesale-level pricing so if you are in the trade please let us know.
If you are interested in larger diamonds or fancy colored diamonds please do not hesitate to get in touch. Recently we came across a fancy yellow with a GIA report that weighs 3+ carats. It's a magnificent stone for the discerning client who appreciates rarity and is looking for a store of value that can not be replicated. We are finding that in unsure economic times, stones that have been the most rare and desirable are also the most liquid.
It is hard to say how long it will take us to fill the requests that we have at the moment so our return trip is not yet planned. If you have a request for a special gemstone feel free to let us know what you would like and we will do our best. Also note that the turnaround time on custom jewelry right now is very fast as we are using our local jeweler here in Bangkok who does high quality custom goldsmithing but at production speed. You can take advantage of the inexpensive Thai labor market and get beautiful custom 18K jewelry designed and built to your specifications. Most clients send us pictures from the internet that are similar to what they want and we work out the details to create the special custom ring, earrings, pendant, or any other quality jewelry that is required.
Above all else, thanks for reading this newsletter and for sticking with us through the years. We have big plans for Tip Top Gem and we hope that we can bring as much enjoyment to your lives as you have brought to ours.
It is as easy as ever to get in touch with us. Our toll-free number has never changed and rings to my cell while we are in Thailand- 800-607-1425. Note that we are twelve hours apart from you if you are in the central time zone of the U.S. Our clients in Australia have it easier as we are within a few hours of them now. We are five hours ahead of our clients in Western Europe, or six hours ahead of those of you in the U.K.
E-mail me at dave@tiptopgem.com if you have a question or request and I will reply via e-mail unless you request that I call you back.
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