In early February 2025, we took a trip to Chanthaburi, Thailand ~ an important gemstone cutting and trading hub, known globally.
Chanthaburi is one of the major cutting centres where gemstones are cut and faceted to their final form before being made into jewelry. Located in eastern Thailand, it has long been a global hub for gem cutting, trading, and processing, particularly for rubies and sapphires.
According the the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), an estimated 70% of sapphire and 90% of rubies pass through Thailand at some point along their journey, with many of them being cut, treated, or traded in Chanthaburi.
Chanthaburi is also known to be the pioneer of modern gemstone heat treatment techniques, which are often used to enhance the colour and clarity in sapphires and rubies, making it an important hub in the treatment processes performed on gemstones.
Although my trip to Chanthaburi was short, I visited for 2 days during the weekend market. The market runs from about 10 am to 5 pm Friday through Sunday. Buyers typically sit at tables with signs written in Thai, detailing the stone types, sizes, and qualities they’re looking for. Brokers, dealers, and traders then scramble to fulfill these requests, bringing stones directly to the buyer. Once a gem catches interest, negotiations begin—conducted almost entirely through a calculator, with prices going back and forth until a deal is made (or not). This method creates a universal language, making it easier to navigate language barriers between buyers and sellers.
For our sourcing, we brought back a few great finds. Since this was our first time at the market, we kept our purchasing smaller, focusing on understanding how it operates. You can explore what we sourced here: Sourced in Chanthaburi
We also created a quick video from the trip, available on YouTube Shorts: Join us at the Chanthaburi Gem Market in Thailand!
