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11.21.2006

MY BEAD SHOPPING

I'm kind of tired of replying to the tonnes of emails requesting information about where I shopped in Bangkok. I did a lot of research on my own before I made my first shopping trip. I think the satisfaction of purchasing something that you have researched and sourced for is so much more fulfilling than just hoping that someone will drop the information into my lap.

Almost every 'popular' shopping destination in Bangkok has bead shops that have sprouted to fuel the current craze. From Silom all the way to Chatuchat market, every place else in between will also have their array of 'bead' shops. You have to be discerning when you visit any bead shop - in Singapore or in Bangkok. So you should know when you buy something blue that looks like turquoise and costs S$15/string you are probably paying for dyed howlite. The good stuff isn't any cheaper than the good stuff in Singapore so be wary. JJ market now has more than 50 bead shops. Each shop offering you more of the same that the neighbor has. Some shops have authentic stuff, others have dyed stones passing off as quartz. I cannot help you here. You have to do your own legwork and learn from trial and error. The good stuff is always sold by weight - from 5 baht/gram up to 30 baht per gram and these are for the stones. Silver is more or less controlled at 25 baht/gram. Wholesale means wholesale - 1kg minimum and that would take away approx S$1200 from your shopping budget. Going with S$2000 will give you enough $$$$ to shop comfortably for a fair amount of beads if you're not buying silver. Add another S$1k to that if you're buying silver too. I think the information I've given here is more that what I was armed with on my first bead shopping trip. Good luck.

3 comments:

Pepinol said...

Hi Belinda,

Thanks for sharing! =)

Belinda Lee said...

No worries. I am usually quite generous with my answers but it gets a bit much when you get queries telling you to be specific about the location and shop names. Tks for stopping by ;p

JL said...

Wow! I would go crazy in those beads shopsss! Although I'm not a person who wears accessories, I love your creations.

People really ask you where you got your beads?!?