How Do We Buy Gems?

First impressions might lead you to believe that Chanthaburi is typical of any provincial town in eastern Thailand. Silhouettes of Buddhist temples break through the ornate skyline of traditional Thai houses while the narrow streets below echo to the sound of market vendors selling fruits, vegetables, animals and… minerals. Make no mistake, inconspicuous Chanthaburi is the "Gem Capital" of Southeast Asia and home to the GemsTV workshop.

A town steeped in gem lore, Chanthaburi has been a center of gem mining and cutting in Thailand for generations. Chanthaburi first gained its gemstone reputation as early as 1407 when the intrepid Chinese traveler Ma Huan wrote of a special place near Chanthaburi where hundreds of families sold bright clear Rubies. In 1868 the famous French explorer Henri Mouhot said, "precious stones of good quality are found in the mountains around Chanthaburi".

Several nearby mining areas flourished from the 19th century including Khao Ploi Waen, Bang Kha Ja, Nong Bon, Bo Rai and Ban Bo I Rem. At their peak in the late sixties, these mines yielded fine quality Sapphires, Rubies, Black & Gold Star Sapphires and Zircon, making Chanthaburi's gem market a hive of activity.

As Chanthaburi's mines neared depletion, the local industry developed extensive overseas supply networks for rough gems. Thanks to its skilled artisans, Chanthaburi continues to garner international recognition as a global headquarters for colored gemstone production and trading. For the gem connoisseur, there is nowhere on Earth like Chanthaburi. The inventory of gems that find their way onto brokers' tables in its unique Gem Market reads like a who's who of the colored gemstone world: Garnets, Rubies, Blue Sapphires, Fancy Sapphires, Tourmalines, Tsavorites and Zircons, to name but a few.

By nurturing contacts in the key gem markets of Madagascar, Sri Lanka, India, Brazil and East Africa, GemsTV has accumulated intimate knowledge of key gem producing and trading countries. This puts GemsTV in the unique position of being able to acquire certain rare gems that are sometimes unattainable in the open market.

Our global contacts aside, the single biggest reason that we are able to offer such a large variety of gemstones is our location in Chanthaburi. GemsTV is positioned at the beginning of a supply chain that has traditionally seen gemstones suffer up to a one thousand percent mark-up on their journey to the consumer. Because of the volume of our gem purchases in Chanthaburi, we often get a first look at any gemstones in the local market.

In 2005 and 2006, we sold jewelry containing over 170 different gemstone varieties which originated from over 45 countries.