Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:15 am Posts: 76 Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Hello Nina and Mary. Very nice to meet you both - thank you for the kind words. I think you both would agree that Bangkok is the place to be if colored stones are your passion. There are certainly other cities with gem mining and trading centers, but the quantity and sheer variety cannot be matched by Bangkok. Glad to know you both. Best Regards, Scott.
_________________ Scott Davies
American-Thai Trading, Bangkok
scott is too modest. you should see his shop. something for everyone and some really nice cutting. he says he gets a lot of stuff and has it recut. well today after lunch, i say to my four buddies, hey let's stop by and pick up my 11.56 spinel crystal. then they are all there looking at maw sit sit (great stuff) and lapis and jade. He's giving us an impromptu class. We are all there with our newly acquired loupes and tweezers, the ones with the internal grooves, so the stones don't go flying out the door and i end up leaving the store, with more maw sit sit, lapis, my spinel and a gleam in my eye for some zambian amethyst, the cutting is really nice.
I was 500 baht short so I have to go back tomorrow. This could be the start of a great friendship. By the way, his wife Khun Goong, was wearing the nicest jadite and diamond ring (whooo) and of course, a very nice maw sit sit pendent.
The only good news is that I tend to prefer the colors of the least expensive stones, but even so I left with just enough to buy some noodles for dinner. Ha ha....still looking for Vincent.....no where in sight....Keemoog
I'm Tom. I'm a new team at AIGS. During your stay in Bangkok, if you need help on anything except money borrowing, we new AIGS team will be there to make your life easier in Bangkok.
You can reach me at AIGS school or else directly to my email.
thanks khun tom. I will look for you tomorrow. Well, Scott continues to find really interesting stones to show us. Let's just say I might have to find a money borrowing place. These sphenes he's got are so beautiful, well instead of spending the afternoon at the lab, I was at Scott's place with two others and we must have been there for three hours. What a delight. I found white opal you would swear was ivory and the lapis I bought the other day was stolen by my girlfriend for earrings and a ring so I had to replace with some more. Missed the quiz last week, spent the week with friends from US who were here on a tour. That's where the lapis went oh and some maw sit sit too. Scott said he has a new shipment from his cutter tomorrow. Do you think I will ever get back to the lab and figure out the unknowns? Come to AIGS, take the course and brings money for all the gemstones you could ever want. Oh, the famous Vincent is meeting us for lunch Wednesday. I'm going to ask for his autograph on my sphene girdle.....ha....mo do you should be here.....keemoog
mo do: so i go to lunch with vincent (along with 57 other vincent groupies) he's much taller, handsomer and cleaner than the pictures on his website. he's holding court regaling everyone who is enthalled by his stories, he's telling us we all need to go to Pailin to pan for our own zircons and gold and sapphires. I am thinking "yeah, get in the dirty water, temperature outside is 110 degrees with 110% humidity, stay away from the trees cause that's where the landmines are, and go to some restaurant to drink french bordeaux. Well, heck - why don't I just go to some nice gem market, they bring the stones to me. I stay clean, no dengue mosquitoes or leeches or snakes - I can drink Bordeaux just as well in a place with flushing toilets, air-conditioning and other basic amenities. Maybe I pay a dollar or two more. That's ok with me.
The guys in the class are chomping at the bit. They can't wait to run off and buy boonie hats and boots and follow in Vincent's footsteps. Good for them. Meanwhile the whole lunchtime Vincent is calling me Keemoog, which means snot in Thai and the Thais in the class are looking at me strangely.
So, Scott of Thai American is running off to Japan with tons of Hackmanite that he is keeping dormant until he can get to Japan and put them in the sun and watch as everyone oohs and ahs about the color changing into deep purple. His wife Gung said she would show me later.
Hey Precision Gems: You will not believe how absolutely fabulous the yellow zircon turned out in an antique rose gold setting. You would swear it was a champagne diamond. I'll download a picture and send to you. And the rhodolite is just as nice. It's in a tension setting. Unbelievable. I have two people in class that asked if they could copy the setting. Sure, I stole the picture from pricescope.com. Don't tell them.
Ok all. I hope to make it to Tucson next year and get to see some of you. Meeting Vincent was a lot of fun and his ability to explain stuff was pretty good. I think we all enjoyed meeting him. He still hasn't autographed my lab manual but I will save that for next time.
hey snizzers, that is your chelsea filter reaction list right. well, i'm using it here and my fellow classmates have copied it. thanks a bunch. keemoog
mo do you should be here using snizzer's chelsea filter reference with me.....
every time i go to lunch i pass thai american's shop. i can't find another way around the shop and if i don't go in, my friends want to see the new stuff. today matteo bought maw sit sit and my other friends saw this huge pink spinel and they'd been eying it, well they got it. i think it's five plus carats. so what could i do? Christmas is coming and there were these three jade (not expensive bangles) with matching rings and so in the bag they went. nice boxes to put them in too. scott finally relented and took some of the hackmanite and uv'd it and magic, purple colored and really nice. so guess what else i need. thank the lord for credit cards. mary our teacher told everyone to sign up for gemology online so don't be surprised if some new folks come on.
we are still having fun....hope everyone is too.
mo do, oh the things you could do and the things you could see....keemoog
Hi Nina,
I'm now back in my quiet appartment in Switzerland. It is a sunny weekend and the nature is just beautiful. What a change compared to Dubai and its desert skycrappers and chaotic but friendly Bangkok!
I will be able now to continue to work on the samples I got and to prepare my future expeditions. The ICA congress in Dubai was a great occasion for me to meet again the friends who helped me during my past expeditions and to meet new people. This is the way I prepare field trip: First it is about meeting the right people and to get some information and their support to be able to access the mines. Then things are quite easy.
It was very nice to be able to have these two lunchs with you and the other AIGS students last week. I hope that you will continue to enjoy gem markets. If you prefer markets than mines I would like to advise you to visit Yangon in Burma and spend your days at the scott market. It is a real "Alibaba cavern" for any people loving gems: The place is full of gem and jewelry shops and there is each afternoon a real gem market in one of its alleys. Burmese people are very friendly and you will discover there one of the oldest gem business culture.
Yangon is also a beautiful place to visit. If you are interested by such a trip, contact me I can provide you with the informations about the "wndering gem market" as in Yangon the gem dealers change place 3 times each day.
All the best for the rest of your stay in Bangkok!
The views expressed here are V. Pardieu’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of GIA Laboratory Bangkok (http://www.giathai.net)where he is an employee since Dec 2008.
Hey Khun Tom: Are you still there or did you disappear?
If you are gone who is the new web presence, ha if you are not there you can't answer this. Is it Jay Joseph? Just wondering.....
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:16 am Posts: 305 Location: Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok
Hey Nina come see me in Chanthaburi! Will you get down here this visit? The buying office is now open on Soi Kachang 6, close to the river. I'm here every day.
_________________ Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. ~Mark Twain
hey dave:
did you move to bangkok? or just doing trips. for sure i will come see you, but not til i get back sometime oct/nov 09, not 08. can't wait to see all the goodies and spend some time watching the chantaburi scene. last time wasn't enough time, just one day. you can give me some lessons.
hope you are well and see you next year.
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:16 am Posts: 305 Location: Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok
I'm actually living in Chanthaburi now! I've moved here permanently. I will send you a PM!
_________________ Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. ~Mark Twain
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