Phuket shopping: Thai
Silk, Ceramics, Jewelry, Pearls and Batik
Phuket
Shopping, Thai Silk, Ceramics, Jewelry, Pearls and Batik
It's the end of a century and even more important, the end of a
thousand years ! It's time to celebrate and Thailand is not only
the Land of Smiles but the Land of Shopping. From the latest designer
wear at a fraction of the price to authentic silk, cotton and handcrafted
ceramics and wood carvings, there's no better time to shop for special
gifts for friends of family who couldn't share in a Millennium holiday
to Thailand. Benjarong recommends you consider the following choices
for the perfect gift.
Thai Silk
Particularly good buys are used sarongs with intricate mudmee or
ikat patterns, woven style preserved by projects supported by Queen
Sirikit.
Most tailor shops have a selection of Thai silk in bright, lively
colors or sharp, dynamic plaid or floral patterns. Thai silk is
graded by different plies. One ply is good for a shirt or light
dress while two ply is used for suits. Four ply Thai silk is perfect
for pillow coverings or curtains.
Tailored Clothes
Any visitor to Phuket will notice the numerous tailor shops on
the island. But how does one choose which shop to have a special
suit or dress designed or made? At Mr. Singh's Fashion Gallery in
Patong, customers can select from an international selection of
materials; from British cashmeres to Italian woolens to cool cottons
to lustrous silks. The tailors are experts at helping a client choose
a suit or dress design that is both comfortable and fashionable.
A wide selection of catalogue books from the Italian fashion houses
act as a guide for what to order.
Batik
Colorful batik banners float in the wind at Phuket International
Airport. These bright handicrafts are an original art of Phuket.
Phuket batik is a great gift for family members who will always
remember a visit to Phuket just by looking at the flowers, fish
or birds that brightly decorate a skirt, shirt or wall hanging.
While Japan has traditionally been the Asian center for the cultured
pearl industry, Phuket has, in the past couple decades, become the
preferred site in Southeast Asia for pearl cultivation. Each year,
hundreds of these precious items are sent around the world as a
valuable export item as the quality and lustre are in high demand.
Most of the larger jewelers, such as P & C Jewelry in Patong,
carry an exclusive line of pearls, at a fraction of the price charged
in Europe or even Japan. Careful buyers can choose from a wide range
of colors and sizes.
Thailand is a great place to buy gems and jewelry. The approximate
price for most gems is set by international standards but certain
stones such as sapphires and rubies are mined in Thailand. Jewelers
from around the world send precious gems to be put into custom settings
here as the quality of the workmanship and the price can not be
equaled elsewhere.
Due to popular demand, Khun Thamanoon Punchun, Executive Chef at
The Boathouse wine and Grill, he has collected his favorite traditional
Thai recipes into one book for his guests to take home and cook
for themselves. The Boathouse Cookbook includes fragrant salads,
spicy soups, curries, noodles and a sampling of desserts. Each recipe
has easy-to-follow instructions with photos on how to prepare the
cuisine that has made the Boathouse famous.
Ceramics of Phuket was started by two sisters who became fascinated
with the magic of glaze and design. Their factory supplies many
of the better hotels on the island with specialty custom ceramics
for the dining room. Their ceramics capture the deep greens and
blues of the surrounding marine environment. The studio is constantly
expanding, creating new patterns of dining ware, custom tiles and
most recently, ceramic murals of Thai cultural legends.
Blue Witch Handicrafts offers special lanterns made from saa or
Rice paper and a batik type process is used to create patterns and
lively colors which fade into one another. Other interesting presents
are the one-of-a-kind coffee mugs which are made in various animal
forms and handicrafts from hilltribe weavers in the northern mountains.
The Banyan Tree Galleries at each of the Laguna Phuket resorts
feature a world of beautiful items including ceramics made on Phuket,
silk and cotton textiles from all regions of the country, the Banyan
Tree product line of massage, aromatic oils and incense, and objets
d'art as sandstone Khmer figures and elephants, in many sizes, made
from either wood, stone or metal.
Phuket has become an international showcase for rare religious
images and unusual furniture from around Southeast Asia. The best
collection of antiques and handicrafts can be found at Thai Style
Antiques on the Airport Road.
Thai Style Antiques is a treasure house of exotic items for the
discerning buyer.
