Read on to learn more about the exponential growth of portable technology and the after effects: the link between the decision making process, work and private life....
@ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/6411495.stm
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Digging For Ethical Gems
The distribution of gemstones is very complex. The routes followed by gemstones to the marketplace are also very torturous. There are more individuals involved , each with their own interests. In gem producing countries, smuggling, child labor, illicit trading, and environmental destruction are widespread.
Read on to learn more about the concerns associated with gemstones @
http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/realmoney/articles/ethicalgems.cfm
Read on to learn more about the concerns associated with gemstones @
http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/realmoney/articles/ethicalgems.cfm
Psycho
Memorable quote (s) from the movie:
California Charlie, used car salesman (John Anderson): I'm in no mood for trouble.
Marion Crane (Janet Leigh): What?
California Charlie, used car salesman (John Anderson): There's an old saying, "First customer of the day is always the trouble!" But like I say, I'm in no mood for it so I'm gonna treat you so fair and square that you won't have one human reason to give me...
Marion Crane (Janet Leigh): Can I trade my car in and take another?
California Charlie, used car salesman (John Anderson): Do anything you've a mind to. Bein' a woman, you will. That yours?
Marion Crane (Janet Leigh): Yes, it's just that - there's nothing wrong with it. I just...
California Charlie, used car salesman (John Anderson): Sick of the sight of it! Well, why don't you have a look around here and see if there's somethin' that strikes your eyes and meanwhile I'll have my mechanic give yours the once over. You want some coffee? I was just about...
Marion Crane (Janet Leigh): No, thank you. I'm in a hurry. I just want to make a change, and...
California Charlie, used car salesman (John Anderson): One thing people never oughtta be when they're buyin' used cars and that's in a hurry. But like I said, it's too nice a day to argue. I'll uh - shoot your car in the garage here.
California Charlie, used car salesman (John Anderson): I'm in no mood for trouble.
Marion Crane (Janet Leigh): What?
California Charlie, used car salesman (John Anderson): There's an old saying, "First customer of the day is always the trouble!" But like I say, I'm in no mood for it so I'm gonna treat you so fair and square that you won't have one human reason to give me...
Marion Crane (Janet Leigh): Can I trade my car in and take another?
California Charlie, used car salesman (John Anderson): Do anything you've a mind to. Bein' a woman, you will. That yours?
Marion Crane (Janet Leigh): Yes, it's just that - there's nothing wrong with it. I just...
California Charlie, used car salesman (John Anderson): Sick of the sight of it! Well, why don't you have a look around here and see if there's somethin' that strikes your eyes and meanwhile I'll have my mechanic give yours the once over. You want some coffee? I was just about...
Marion Crane (Janet Leigh): No, thank you. I'm in a hurry. I just want to make a change, and...
California Charlie, used car salesman (John Anderson): One thing people never oughtta be when they're buyin' used cars and that's in a hurry. But like I said, it's too nice a day to argue. I'll uh - shoot your car in the garage here.
Victorian Jewellery Design
By Charlotte Gere
William Kimber and Co Ltd
1972 SBN 7183 0232 X
William Kimber and Co writes:
Jewellery design has rarely been so inventive as during the second half of the nineteenth century. Changes in fashion were closely followed, changes which increased in frequency with improved communications and regular international exhibitions, so that fashions which stemmed from Paris or Rome would soon be adopted in England—and America. While mechanical manufacture meant that the growing demand for fashionable jewellery could be met, contemporaries were alert to the dangers of mass production. The Great Exhibition of 1851 was itself directed to raise the standard of design in manufacture, and stern criticisms were leveled against the jewellery produced throughout the period, yet there survives today a wide selection of well designed nineteenth century jewellery of fine workmanship for the collector and the bargain-hunter to browse over.
Identifying the varied styles and fashions which influenced the craftsmen and manufacturers, such as the enthusiasm for neogothic, archaeological motifs, adaptations of Japanese and Indian art, and botanical novelties, Victorian Jewellery Design is an absorbing guide to the probable origin of many of these nineteenth century pieces—providing the kind of knowledge that enabled the author to identify a gold bracelet in an Oxfam shop as being made by Carlo Doria for Robert Phillips. It traces the influences underlying the changes of fashion, and shows how it was frequently artists—sometimes producing their own hand-made pieces—such as William Burges, Charles Rickett, the Pre-Raphaelites and the leaders of Art Nouveau, who introduced fresh inspiration, rather than the trade craftsmen.
William Kimber and Co Ltd
1972 SBN 7183 0232 X
William Kimber and Co writes:
Jewellery design has rarely been so inventive as during the second half of the nineteenth century. Changes in fashion were closely followed, changes which increased in frequency with improved communications and regular international exhibitions, so that fashions which stemmed from Paris or Rome would soon be adopted in England—and America. While mechanical manufacture meant that the growing demand for fashionable jewellery could be met, contemporaries were alert to the dangers of mass production. The Great Exhibition of 1851 was itself directed to raise the standard of design in manufacture, and stern criticisms were leveled against the jewellery produced throughout the period, yet there survives today a wide selection of well designed nineteenth century jewellery of fine workmanship for the collector and the bargain-hunter to browse over.
Identifying the varied styles and fashions which influenced the craftsmen and manufacturers, such as the enthusiasm for neogothic, archaeological motifs, adaptations of Japanese and Indian art, and botanical novelties, Victorian Jewellery Design is an absorbing guide to the probable origin of many of these nineteenth century pieces—providing the kind of knowledge that enabled the author to identify a gold bracelet in an Oxfam shop as being made by Carlo Doria for Robert Phillips. It traces the influences underlying the changes of fashion, and shows how it was frequently artists—sometimes producing their own hand-made pieces—such as William Burges, Charles Rickett, the Pre-Raphaelites and the leaders of Art Nouveau, who introduced fresh inspiration, rather than the trade craftsmen.
Monday, March 05, 2007
The Tanzanite Story
Tanzanite is a variety of Zoisite named after its country of origin, Tanzania. It was first discovered in 1967 and is still the only place where it can be found. Tanzanite is known for its varying shades of violet; also occurs in brown, pink, greenish and yellow. All these shades may turn to blue upon heat treatment. The results of this treatment are stable. Tanzanite is an attractive stone with a color to match any other.
More info on mining practices @
http://www.irinnews.org/film/Gem-Slaves-view.htm
TANZANIA
Gem Slaves: Tanzanite's child labour
English transcript @ http://newsite.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=61004
More info on mining practices @
http://www.irinnews.org/film/Gem-Slaves-view.htm
TANZANIA
Gem Slaves: Tanzanite's child labour
English transcript @ http://newsite.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=61004
The Birds
Memorable quote (s) from the movie:
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): What about the letter you wrote me, is that a lie, too?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): No, I wrote the letter.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): Well what did it say?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): It said 'Dear Mister Brenner, I think you need these lovebirds after all. They may help your personality.'
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): But you tore it up?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Yes.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): Why?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Because it seemed stupid and foolish.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): Like jumping into a fountain in Rome?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Tayler): I told you what happened!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): You don't expect me to believe that, do you?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Oh, I don't give a damn what you believe!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): I'd still like to see you.
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Why?
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): I think it might be fun.
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Well it might have been good enough in Rome, but it's not good enough now.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): It is for me.
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Well not for me!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): What do you want?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): I thought you knew! I want to go through life jumping into fountains naked, good night!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): What about the letter you wrote me, is that a lie, too?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): No, I wrote the letter.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): Well what did it say?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): It said 'Dear Mister Brenner, I think you need these lovebirds after all. They may help your personality.'
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): But you tore it up?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Yes.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): Why?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Because it seemed stupid and foolish.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): Like jumping into a fountain in Rome?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Tayler): I told you what happened!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): You don't expect me to believe that, do you?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Oh, I don't give a damn what you believe!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): I'd still like to see you.
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Why?
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): I think it might be fun.
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Well it might have been good enough in Rome, but it's not good enough now.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): It is for me.
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): Well not for me!
Mitch Brenner (Rod Tayler): What do you want?
Melanie Daniels (Tippie Hedren): I thought you knew! I want to go through life jumping into fountains naked, good night!
Gems And Jewels
By Benjamin Zucker
Thames and Hudson
1984 ISBN 0-500-01326-8
Thames and Hudson writes:
From time immemorial precious stones have been prized as tokens of love, as symbols of wealth and social status, or as objects endowed with magical or religious significance. This comprehensive survey of the history and uses of the principal types of gems provides revealing insights into their origins, into methods and styles of cutting at different times in history, and into the aesthetic appeal of numerous examples of the jeweler’s art. Thus, garnet-ornamented objects from the Ango-Saxon Sutton Hoo ship burial vie for place with elaborate lapis lazuli funerary jewelry from ancient Egypt and Sumer, while the imaginative treatment of baroque pearls in the Renaissance period contrasts with the directness of North American Indian designs featuring the skystone, turquoise. Similarly, such magnificent objects as jade figures carved with exquisite subtlety by Chinese craftsmen and an emerald-encrusted crown by Pierre Arpels (from the former royal collection of Iran) serve to illustrate examples of work from widely differing cultures.
In addition to discussing outstanding specimen stones, such as the famous Tiffancy Diamond, and comparing key differences in shades of color within one type of gemstone—as in the case of opals from Australia and Mexico, and of sapphires from Kashmir and Ceylon—the author reveals the vital clues that enable the expert eye to distinguish between natural and synthetic stones and between natural and cultured pearls, and gives guidelines on methods of grading and on relative values.
Whatever one’s personal preference for colors, styles or materials, this lavishly illustrated book—with individual chapters devoted to ruby, sapphire, emerald, diamond, pearl, amber, lapis lazuli, jade, turquoise, opal and garnet—will provide a wealth of fascinating information.
About the author
Benjamin Zucker is the author of How to Buy and Sell Gems: Everyone’s guide to buying rubies, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds, and has conducted special seminars at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Thames and Hudson
1984 ISBN 0-500-01326-8
Thames and Hudson writes:
From time immemorial precious stones have been prized as tokens of love, as symbols of wealth and social status, or as objects endowed with magical or religious significance. This comprehensive survey of the history and uses of the principal types of gems provides revealing insights into their origins, into methods and styles of cutting at different times in history, and into the aesthetic appeal of numerous examples of the jeweler’s art. Thus, garnet-ornamented objects from the Ango-Saxon Sutton Hoo ship burial vie for place with elaborate lapis lazuli funerary jewelry from ancient Egypt and Sumer, while the imaginative treatment of baroque pearls in the Renaissance period contrasts with the directness of North American Indian designs featuring the skystone, turquoise. Similarly, such magnificent objects as jade figures carved with exquisite subtlety by Chinese craftsmen and an emerald-encrusted crown by Pierre Arpels (from the former royal collection of Iran) serve to illustrate examples of work from widely differing cultures.
In addition to discussing outstanding specimen stones, such as the famous Tiffancy Diamond, and comparing key differences in shades of color within one type of gemstone—as in the case of opals from Australia and Mexico, and of sapphires from Kashmir and Ceylon—the author reveals the vital clues that enable the expert eye to distinguish between natural and synthetic stones and between natural and cultured pearls, and gives guidelines on methods of grading and on relative values.
Whatever one’s personal preference for colors, styles or materials, this lavishly illustrated book—with individual chapters devoted to ruby, sapphire, emerald, diamond, pearl, amber, lapis lazuli, jade, turquoise, opal and garnet—will provide a wealth of fascinating information.
About the author
Benjamin Zucker is the author of How to Buy and Sell Gems: Everyone’s guide to buying rubies, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds, and has conducted special seminars at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
The Gem Scam
Here is an interesting report on gem scam (s) in Thailand, the colored gemstone capital of the world. There are endless variations, but an educated customer (s) in theory should never fall into the trap. Always do your research. If you are doubtful regarding gemstones have it checked by a reputed gem testing laboratory.
The ThaiGemScamGroup writes:
The Scam has been working for over 20 years, and succeeds due to several factors:
1.Complicity/indifference of local authorities.
2.Love/hate relationship between Thais and "Farang" (hate the victim, blame the victim).
3.Tourists can't stay in the country to press charges.
4.Tourists don't get to talk to one another and share information.
5.Everybody is greedy and wants to get rich quick.
There are several excellent sites that outline the process of the scam (including www.2bangkok.com) so do check out the Links page to get other points of view. Don't assume you are too smart to fall for this scam; they've been practicing it for 20 years. How long have you been dealing with scams?
Set up
There are, in fact, two variations on the scam, but both involved you paying far too much for jewellery. The other one is where a tuk tuk driver simply takes you to a gem shop and tells you to look around for 10 minutes; he gets a free gas coupon for each customer he brings in. This is simple and obvious, and most people don't make a purchase in this case.
The scam discussed on this page involves "coincidental" meetings with "friendly" Thais. Because of the coincidences and the friendliness of the people involved, the victim's guard is let down, thus ensuring the scam's success.The usual set up involves a tourist (or tourists, as couples get targeted as well) walking out of their hotel, on the street, near a tourist attraction, and being approached by a friendly Thai.
Thais, as a rule, do not approach foreigners alone. This is the first warning sign. The Thai will be very friendly and ask where you are from, where you are going, etc...perhaps identifying himself (herself) as a guide, a student, a government employee, a tuk tuk driver, etc.... Regardless of what you answer with regards to your destination, the Thai will give you some reason as to why you can't go there. People going to the Grand Palace or Wat Pho are commonly told that it is closed for some holiday involving Buddha or the Royal Family.
The Grand Palace and Wat Pho are a main attraction of Bangkok, one that provides a large amount of revenue through admission fees. As such, they are both open 365 days/year; why would they close? This is the second warning sign. They both open at 8am and the Grand Palace closes at 15:30pm while the Wat Pho closes at 17:00pm. Note there is only one entrance for the Grand Palace and that *parts* of the Grand Palace may be closed for royal functions, but never the entire complex.
Never fear, however, your Thai "friend" will tell you about another temple or Wat that is open. They usually say that it is not normally open to the public, it is just today. The Thai usually also mentions the Asia economic crisis, and how it is harder for Thai students to pay for their studies abroad with the devaluation of the Thai currency. Usually, there will be a mention of how the government lets Thai students sell one jewellery set a year, tax free, to help fund their studies abroad.
The Thai may or not mention that foreigners are allowed to participate in this scheme once a year, in a bid to promote tourism. The Thai then tells you about the special tuk tuks that take tourists around for a special rate, due to the holiday. Usually this is 20 baht/hour or something like that, and they'll always tell you there are only certain tuk tuks that do this.
There are no government or special tuk tuks. They are all privately owned and no one in our group has yet to meet an honest tuk tuk driver. This is the third warning sign.
The Thai will choose the tuk tuk (he has to in order to get his accomplice, although there are several tuk tuk drivers in on this). He will arrange things for you and send you off to this other temple.In fact, there is nothing too special about this temple, but it is quiet and deserted. The tuk tuk driver will send you in, assuring you that he will wait. Of course he will, he has to be the one to take you to the gem store.
You wander around the temple where you will meet the second "friendly" Thai. He may approach you, asking you questions or offering some advice; you may approach him, because he dropped his keys and walked away; some monk might lead you to a quiet corner of the temple where a man is meditating. In all cases, it is a casual, chance encounter, with all the friendliness and coincidence to disarm your suspicions. He will identify himself as a businessman, student, whatever he thinks will allay your suspicions.
This Thai will ask you various questions about you and somehow steer the conversation back to jewellery. They often get you to mention it, as you've heard about it from the other Thai earlier. Almost always, they make no effort to sell to you, they drop some hints that lead you to ask questions. You are made to feel like you are lucky to know about this, or that you would be foolish to miss out. They tell you that foreigners are allowed to participate in this for only a short time each year, and today is always the last day. They even have a receipt showing that they just bought jewellery that very day.
The Thai government does not have a 195% export tax on jewellery, and couldn't care less about foreigners taking jewellery out of the country. Your own country's Customs, however, does care about how much you import back into your country, making any Thai government promise meaningless. This is the fourth warning sign.
Note that at this point, a foreigner might join the conversation, if not at the temple, then at the shop itself. The foreigner will assure you it is all legitimate, that he/she uses it to pay for his trip all the time. It may also be another Thai who tells you they live abroad and come home once a year for this. In either case, it adds to the legitimacy of the scam, and adds to the number of "coincidences" that you encounter. By now you are curious. The tuk tuk driver may take you to yet another temple, for yet another "chance" meeting with someone who confirms the story. Usually, you are now on your way to the gem store. This is your last chance to save yourself from a very bad experience.
The gem store itself will make every effort to look respectable. There will be staff in uniforms, display cases, etc....but most shops will not have windows, or else they are covered up. Officially recognized jewellery stores should have a Jewelfest logo in plain view, although given the proliferation of fake identification in Thailand, this guarantees nothing.
You will always be taken to a separate room, not left in the main selling area. There will be almost no other customers, and if there are, it will be a foreigner again, who confirms the story and tells you exactly what everyone else said. In this smaller room, you are told the same story, shown a book with photocopies of other passports of "customers", and assured that you can get your money back under any circumstances.The transaction involves mailing the jewellery back to you, or to whatever address you give them (parents, Poste Restante in another country, etc...).
Your country's Customs treats goods imported by you the same, regardless of whether they are with you or were sent to you via the mail system. If this is a tax free purchase, they should not object to you taking the jewellery with you. The use of the mail system is essential in making this scam work. This is the fifth warning sign.
Most people do not have the cash with them. The stores never have credit card machines, so those people wanting to pay via credit cards are told the shop does not usually do business with the public, so they have no credit card machine. Fear not, their other store does sell to the public, so they will loan you their car, driver and escort to that store to run your credit card through the machine. This is a gold store, where you are told you have to buy gold (for whatever reason, inventory, tax purposes, etc...) and take the gold with you. You will trade the gold for the jewellery set. If you pay cash, they will give you their car, driver and escort to take you to your ATM or wherever else you need to go to get your cash.
Back at the jewellery store, you get all kinds of official looking receipts, they show you the courier package they put the jewellery in, make you sign the envelope once it's sealed to ensure no one tampers with the package, and you've now overpaid for cheap jewellery.
As a sign of their gratitude, they will always give your their car and driver and take you around town, to a restaurant, tourist attractions, Thai massages, etc...They do this to distract you and get your package to the mail center as quickly as possible. If they can get your package out of the country before you realize you've been scammed, it will take you over a week to get the gems back in your possession, giving them time to close up shop and vanish forever.
Have you been scammed? If so, click here to find out what options you have. Was this description useful to you?
Send your comments, suggestions and feedback to thaigemscamgroup@yahoo.com.
The ThaiGemScamGroup writes:
The Scam has been working for over 20 years, and succeeds due to several factors:
1.Complicity/indifference of local authorities.
2.Love/hate relationship between Thais and "Farang" (hate the victim, blame the victim).
3.Tourists can't stay in the country to press charges.
4.Tourists don't get to talk to one another and share information.
5.Everybody is greedy and wants to get rich quick.
There are several excellent sites that outline the process of the scam (including www.2bangkok.com) so do check out the Links page to get other points of view. Don't assume you are too smart to fall for this scam; they've been practicing it for 20 years. How long have you been dealing with scams?
Set up
There are, in fact, two variations on the scam, but both involved you paying far too much for jewellery. The other one is where a tuk tuk driver simply takes you to a gem shop and tells you to look around for 10 minutes; he gets a free gas coupon for each customer he brings in. This is simple and obvious, and most people don't make a purchase in this case.
The scam discussed on this page involves "coincidental" meetings with "friendly" Thais. Because of the coincidences and the friendliness of the people involved, the victim's guard is let down, thus ensuring the scam's success.The usual set up involves a tourist (or tourists, as couples get targeted as well) walking out of their hotel, on the street, near a tourist attraction, and being approached by a friendly Thai.
Thais, as a rule, do not approach foreigners alone. This is the first warning sign. The Thai will be very friendly and ask where you are from, where you are going, etc...perhaps identifying himself (herself) as a guide, a student, a government employee, a tuk tuk driver, etc.... Regardless of what you answer with regards to your destination, the Thai will give you some reason as to why you can't go there. People going to the Grand Palace or Wat Pho are commonly told that it is closed for some holiday involving Buddha or the Royal Family.
The Grand Palace and Wat Pho are a main attraction of Bangkok, one that provides a large amount of revenue through admission fees. As such, they are both open 365 days/year; why would they close? This is the second warning sign. They both open at 8am and the Grand Palace closes at 15:30pm while the Wat Pho closes at 17:00pm. Note there is only one entrance for the Grand Palace and that *parts* of the Grand Palace may be closed for royal functions, but never the entire complex.
Never fear, however, your Thai "friend" will tell you about another temple or Wat that is open. They usually say that it is not normally open to the public, it is just today. The Thai usually also mentions the Asia economic crisis, and how it is harder for Thai students to pay for their studies abroad with the devaluation of the Thai currency. Usually, there will be a mention of how the government lets Thai students sell one jewellery set a year, tax free, to help fund their studies abroad.
The Thai may or not mention that foreigners are allowed to participate in this scheme once a year, in a bid to promote tourism. The Thai then tells you about the special tuk tuks that take tourists around for a special rate, due to the holiday. Usually this is 20 baht/hour or something like that, and they'll always tell you there are only certain tuk tuks that do this.
There are no government or special tuk tuks. They are all privately owned and no one in our group has yet to meet an honest tuk tuk driver. This is the third warning sign.
The Thai will choose the tuk tuk (he has to in order to get his accomplice, although there are several tuk tuk drivers in on this). He will arrange things for you and send you off to this other temple.In fact, there is nothing too special about this temple, but it is quiet and deserted. The tuk tuk driver will send you in, assuring you that he will wait. Of course he will, he has to be the one to take you to the gem store.
You wander around the temple where you will meet the second "friendly" Thai. He may approach you, asking you questions or offering some advice; you may approach him, because he dropped his keys and walked away; some monk might lead you to a quiet corner of the temple where a man is meditating. In all cases, it is a casual, chance encounter, with all the friendliness and coincidence to disarm your suspicions. He will identify himself as a businessman, student, whatever he thinks will allay your suspicions.
This Thai will ask you various questions about you and somehow steer the conversation back to jewellery. They often get you to mention it, as you've heard about it from the other Thai earlier. Almost always, they make no effort to sell to you, they drop some hints that lead you to ask questions. You are made to feel like you are lucky to know about this, or that you would be foolish to miss out. They tell you that foreigners are allowed to participate in this for only a short time each year, and today is always the last day. They even have a receipt showing that they just bought jewellery that very day.
The Thai government does not have a 195% export tax on jewellery, and couldn't care less about foreigners taking jewellery out of the country. Your own country's Customs, however, does care about how much you import back into your country, making any Thai government promise meaningless. This is the fourth warning sign.
Note that at this point, a foreigner might join the conversation, if not at the temple, then at the shop itself. The foreigner will assure you it is all legitimate, that he/she uses it to pay for his trip all the time. It may also be another Thai who tells you they live abroad and come home once a year for this. In either case, it adds to the legitimacy of the scam, and adds to the number of "coincidences" that you encounter. By now you are curious. The tuk tuk driver may take you to yet another temple, for yet another "chance" meeting with someone who confirms the story. Usually, you are now on your way to the gem store. This is your last chance to save yourself from a very bad experience.
The gem store itself will make every effort to look respectable. There will be staff in uniforms, display cases, etc....but most shops will not have windows, or else they are covered up. Officially recognized jewellery stores should have a Jewelfest logo in plain view, although given the proliferation of fake identification in Thailand, this guarantees nothing.
You will always be taken to a separate room, not left in the main selling area. There will be almost no other customers, and if there are, it will be a foreigner again, who confirms the story and tells you exactly what everyone else said. In this smaller room, you are told the same story, shown a book with photocopies of other passports of "customers", and assured that you can get your money back under any circumstances.The transaction involves mailing the jewellery back to you, or to whatever address you give them (parents, Poste Restante in another country, etc...).
Your country's Customs treats goods imported by you the same, regardless of whether they are with you or were sent to you via the mail system. If this is a tax free purchase, they should not object to you taking the jewellery with you. The use of the mail system is essential in making this scam work. This is the fifth warning sign.
Most people do not have the cash with them. The stores never have credit card machines, so those people wanting to pay via credit cards are told the shop does not usually do business with the public, so they have no credit card machine. Fear not, their other store does sell to the public, so they will loan you their car, driver and escort to that store to run your credit card through the machine. This is a gold store, where you are told you have to buy gold (for whatever reason, inventory, tax purposes, etc...) and take the gold with you. You will trade the gold for the jewellery set. If you pay cash, they will give you their car, driver and escort to take you to your ATM or wherever else you need to go to get your cash.
Back at the jewellery store, you get all kinds of official looking receipts, they show you the courier package they put the jewellery in, make you sign the envelope once it's sealed to ensure no one tampers with the package, and you've now overpaid for cheap jewellery.
As a sign of their gratitude, they will always give your their car and driver and take you around town, to a restaurant, tourist attractions, Thai massages, etc...They do this to distract you and get your package to the mail center as quickly as possible. If they can get your package out of the country before you realize you've been scammed, it will take you over a week to get the gems back in your possession, giving them time to close up shop and vanish forever.
Have you been scammed? If so, click here to find out what options you have. Was this description useful to you?
Send your comments, suggestions and feedback to thaigemscamgroup@yahoo.com.
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