ALERT: Gems Gallery In Thailand

[HooBoy]

Last November, the bellmen at the Marriott in Pattaya were pressing me to visit Gems Gallery, billed as the World's Biggest Jewelry Store. They are located in Pattaya, Chiangmai, Phuket and Bangkok.

 

The store in Pattaya is huge and beautiful, the gems -- well they look precious.

 

I have not worn jewelry since the disco days of the 70's, but I decided to buy some discreet pinkie rings for myself with the intent of having one for each month of the year.

 

I also purchased jewelry as Christmas presents for my Mom, nieces and my trusty assistant.

 

I do not want to bring up the prices here, it is irrelevant, but I will say I could have bought a nice car with the money I spent, however since I do not drive, I splurged for my family and my pinkie.

 

I got to Cabo San Lucas fa few days later for Christmas with friends and noticed that the stone had fallen out of my ring. I wrote to GEMS GALLERY, telling them that after only a week of wearing, the stone was gone and there was not a scratch on the ring itself, indicating that the stone was not missing because I was wearing it while using my jack hammer.

 

I got a nice email back from the manager saying the next time I was in Pattaya, they would gladly replace the stone at no extra cost.

 

Meantime, I was shopping in Cabo and found what for me was the perfect pinkie ring by Mexican artist Sergio Bustamante. It is subtle beauty with no stone and I have worn it ever since, keeping the Thailand rings in a safe.

 

Fortunately, I brought them all back with me when I returned last week. I decided on a lark yesterday to wear one of the many I purchased for our big night out at the mini-golf course, or sex show, I can't remember which.

 

Anyway, before leaving for the evening, I noticed to my horror that the stone, a black star sapphire had fallen out. Fortunately, my lovely assistant, Foxy, found it on the carpet of our hotel room.

 

I have all my receipts and the Certificates of Guarantee they give you with each purchase and my hotel concierge phoned them yesterday insisting that they send their Mercedes for me today and refund all of my money.

 

I just pray that my Mom's extravagant Christmas bracelet does not look like Swiss Cheese.

 

Anybody wanna buy a fake Rolex? }(

[+ Lucky]

Are you saying that this store ripped you off? Are the gems fake? Did you overpay? Was the bargain too good to be true? Were the Marriott employees being paid to shill for the jewelers? Were kickbacks involved? Just what is it you are saying here? The gems fell out for what reason?

And no one I know would buy a fake Rolex!!

[gerefan]

Tourists Trust These...?

 

Tailors

Tarts

Taxi Drivers

Teen Toyboys

Theives

Thaksin

Touts

Tuk Tuks Drivers

Thai Airways

 

That's Thailand!

 

Gerefan

[HooBoy]

>Are you saying that this store ripped you off? Are the gems

>fake? Did you overpay? Was the bargain too good to be true?

>Were the Marriott employees being paid to shill for the

>jewelers? Were kickbacks involved? Just what is it you are

>saying here? The gems fell out for what reason?

>And no one I know would buy a fake Rolex!!

 

 

Lucky, the store did not rip me off (unless they refuse to refund my money.

 

Were the gems fake? Absolutely not. They simply fell out of their settings.

 

Was the bargain too good to be true? I am not a jeweler, I have no idea. Nothing was what I would consider "on sale" and no discounts were offered.

 

I am certain that the Marriott bellmen got a small commission for introducing me to the store, much like a concierge in a (pick your city) hotel may get a kickback. I was in London last week and wanted to see the sold out "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." My concierge said he could get me tickets for a 40% increase in price (double the price of a pound compared to a dollar.)

 

Instead I went to Leicester Square, stood in line for 5 minutes and got second row center tickets to the show for half price.

 

Why did the gems fall out? I guess they didn't screw them in tight enough, but I am not going to take a chance on the other rings not worn doing the same. The store broke my CIRCLE OF TRUST.

 

My line about the fake Rolex was a joke.

 

BTW: I loved "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." Now excuse me, it is morning here and I have to go to India!!

[buckguy]

Word of mouth is essential in Thailand (and not from some concierge), unless you really know gems.

[+ Lucky]

India? You do live an interesting life! I hope you get your money back from the gem store. I am looking forward to your tales.

[Guest msclonly]

THere is a reputable and very reasonable jewelry store in the mall in front of the Bangkok Marriott Resort hotel on Charoen Nakorn Road in Bangkok.

 

I had ring settings redesigned and resized for a fraction of the price of other shops, and what it would have cost in the US. I also had them done in 18 karat gold, which is much better then just 14 karat gold. Only Americans wear 14 karat gold.

Also, redesigned and enlarged a wrist chain into 18 karat gold.

At the suggestion of the jeweler, we added 3 Burmese blood ruby stones to the old ring band for a pinkie ring. It is really stunning, and friends tell me, that it is the best looking ring, that they ever

saw. Cost for that was US$60.00.

 

Royal Gems is a family owned store, and you can meet them there.

It is the only place to get things made to order in a couple of days, and to get prices on anything, that you might like to buy.

NO PRESSURE what so ever. If you don't like what you ordered, then you don't have to accept it. But everything, I ordered turned out MUCH BETTER then I could have imagined. Especially, the wrist chain, which cost HALF of the ones I saw in other stores.

 

I compared prices at a lot of other stores for the same items, and they weren't even close.

 

:+ :+

[joel304]

Bottom Line .... HooBoy's got loot :-)

[+ Lucky]

Well, then, lucky Hooboy! At least he is willing to share his loot with his family....not to mention his generosity in Thailand.

[HooBoy]

I have loot? From your posting to god's ear.

 

I live life to the fullest and people tell me I am lucky.,.

 

Well, the fact of the matter is, I have neither Loot nor Luck. But the harder I work, the luckier I get.