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Chiang Rai Mae Sai Shopping in Mae Sai Mae Sae as a town is a trading post for the rural communities within the Golden Triangle area. Inside this town the latest gadgets from the modern world are on display. Cheap industrial, general and domestic goods from the region are readily available. Is it gold or ornamental laces that I see everywhere - Well could be a commodity for the folks to safe guard wealth. One items that is not seen in most other small towns - finished gems and raw stones that contains precious gems and jade. Overall, it is not a very big market but compact and very well stocked . It was here the sights of the stones invoke my interest. Good, I would be gainfully occupied to learn about the business of trading in raw stones. It was so unlike simply just walking around stalls or shops, gazing at items which I have little or no interest in. This time - an eye opener as to what is available and how business is done. We had gone through a fair deal of our traveling but on every trip, we never stopped to pick up tokens, souvenir and door gift. But this time roaming this market place and doing recording, that feeling of real shopping surfaced. Only with a difference - we saw and again never buy 1 Shopping in Mae Sae City A bazaar style in the Mall
2. Shopping - General Goods
3. Necklaces with beads or stones Beads and stone necklaces
4. Plenty on display More necklaces
5. Display Now Necklaces - looks like they are in gold or not ?
6. Shopping in Mae Sae City Wandering along 5-foot & Alley way. Glimpses of the common accessories too
7. Shopping in Mae Sae City Nothing for the wife or me
Semi-precious stones and Jadeites Burma as a country is locked in many respects, that atmosphere hampers causal visitors from going into the country to freely move around and picking up gem stones which the country is famous for. This awkward situation brings a boom to the border towns in Thailand, the nearest buyers can get to venture out with ease and browse for stones, collected in Burma, Mention border towns, the outsiders, they heard of so many town with Thai names. Not really, only Mae Sot and Mae Sai - both sounds sound very similar. However, these two places are very far apart from each other and each having different characters. Mae Sai is in the touristy north and Mae Sot is in the remote west. Mae Sae in the north are closer to places in Burma where stones are found. True enough the regulars as I read from the internet, Mae Sae is the favorite choice to shop for gems. The quality of stones here is better than Mae Sot and the prices are not a lot higher. So, I was in Mae Sae once more, after the first experiences in the other trip, I add on for myself how shopping for stones was like. The best place to look for quality stones then was in shops of the Mae Sai Plaza. This is a shopping complex along the Soi in front of the Wang Tong Hotel. We stayed in Wang Tong Hotel. I heard that the main gem market in Mae Sai is located on the east side of Phahoyothin Road at the intersection of Sois 3 and 4. Mogok stones are available on an irregular basis, but jadeite is always around. So what is this "Mogok stones?" The answer - in next picture. 8. Sketch Map -There is a line that traces a place Mogok to Mae Sae A sketch Map of Gem producing towns in Burma. It's geography. I had seen jadeite stone before. This time I learned a new word "Mogok" Next picture - are Mogok stone. I better brush up my knowledge on current affairs and Geography! A faint line on the sketch traces a place named Mogok to Mae Sae Known as the Valley of Rubies, Mogok is located 200 km north of Mandalay. This place is nestled in a valley between a number of high mountains ranges with peaks reaching 1,170 meters high. Here Mogok is in a valley with cool temperate climate all year round. The area that is said to be home to 90% of the world’s high-grade Rubies.
9. Precious Gem stones Here - "Mogok Stones" . Uncut rough Rubies from Mong Hsu are available by the kilo. Trapiche Rubies are fairly common in the Mong Hsu in rough forms. They can be picked up cheaply here.
10. Buying rocks that has Jade Jades - the ability to evaluate of raw stones which are potential to extricate jade stones plus the processing of these extracted fragments into commercial jade are highly specialized skills. Open-air gem market was around every corner in Mae Sae. Don't buy anything unless you know how to do visual investigation on the raw stones. Many stones on display have a small window sheared open to reveal the grade of jade within the stone to lures buyers. Depends so much on the buyers relationship with the retailers, who they themselves are better trained and informed. One problem in Mae Sai is that it may take time before the seller accepts you and are willing to give you a good buy and fair price.
11. Looking for a good buy Dissected stone showing the jade veins. There are many family run gem shops around the gem market area. Each of branches might have a few interesting items. You just need to take your time to explore each one of them. It is possible to find fine quality uncut Rubies and Sapphires. Chances of finding good quality unprocessed Jadeite from Burma in Mae Sai is very real.
12. Shopping in Mae Sae City Exposed segment to reveal contents
13. Stones on display Untreated natural jade is known as “A” jade. Jadeite is commonly impregnated with a polymer to make it more transparent as is done with emeralds. This polymer treated natural jade is known as “B” jade. Sometimes jadeite is chemically bleached and then dyed. Material that has undergone this process is known as “C” natural jade. Some stones receive both the B and C treatments. All of these designations were created by western gemologists. Notice that they can all use the natural. As long as the original stone was natural jadeite, then they can be called natural with another designation (A, B, C or B+C). When buying jadeite, you may enquire if the jade piece is of the "A, B or C types"! But first, before evaluating the answer, you yourself need to be able to determine that for yourself.
14. Value added shops in Mae Sae City Worker doing some polishing
15. Skilled work person at work Now curving
16. Selected Rocks - now separated do looks unique An assortment of raw stones and semi-precious tones
17. Value added as the contends are assured Semi worked on stones to affirm its contents
18. Wide range of Stones More "windowed" stone offered
Even though I cannot afford to be crazy about collecting rare stones and good finds, I was driven bonkers by the sight of so many collectibles. Let them be authentic gem stones or simply colorful rocks. Sometimes I wish that I am that wealthy that I could set aside some funds and venture into the study of stones like geologist
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