You must have listened and heard about different types of markets from across the world, typically of food and clothes. But something quirky and indifferent always catches our attention and this is what the Gem Market of Thailand is all about.

In fact, there is nowhere in the world that you will find a specific gem market like the Talad Ploy in Thailand. And this definitely makes it stand out on its own from the rest.

Talad Ploy – City of Gems

Nestled in the beautiful town of Chanthaburi, a coastal province with beautiful mountains, hills and an old Asian charm has become a symbol of gem trade with people flocking over from across the world to trade gems in this town, especially sapphire.

Bustling in the area of Si Chan Road, you could find shops lined along that trades in different types of gems. While the town seems to be sleepy location during weekdays with limited shops being open, it comes to life and vibrancy during the weekend. From Friday to Sunday, there is an outdoor market, with sellers lining up to offer all things sparkly. This is the time when you can see sellers, buyers and brokers converging in this area from across the globe.

As you would have experienced the Thai food vendors, who arrange and present their foods on their stalls; the same style is adopted here. The sellers arrange and lay-out the unset stones on tables, in a surprising casual manner.

History of Gems in Chanthaburi

Chanthaburi hasn’t become a hotbed of gem trade overnight, but gem mining, cutting, heating and polishing has been taking place here since the 15^th century.

Market Trends

When you stroll around the market, you can find treated sapphires for as low as $2-3. The market customs are also a bit different than what you will find anywhere else. There are buildings, where buyers can be seen seated on the booked tables (yes they pay in advance to book their tables), and the sellers stand around them, who are typically brokers of big businessmen. The building owners also get around 5% – 15% commission on the gems’ prices, and they also ensure that fair and transparent deals are struck with no fake stones being sold in the market.

But with so much of roughs available around, you have to be highly proficient of distinguishing the quality of the stone to get a good deal.

You may also like our other video Bangkok’s Massive Gems & Jewelry Fair 2019

The post The Amazing Gem City – Talad Ploy appeared first on Indo Thai News Channel - Travel l Culture l News & Event l Food.