Stand By Your Stone
From their office in the “gem district” of Bangkok, which begins around Silom Soi 11 and stretches down to the banks of the Chao Phraya River, Liz Smailes meets with GIA, Graduate Gemologist, (Gemological Institute of America) Mark Power and his business partner and jewelry designer Laurie Hardoon Adulayavichitr. With a vast amount of the world’s colored gemstones passing through Bangkok at some point in their process from the mining, cutting, grading, trading and setting, Thailand has long been known as a major market for colored gemstones, and the world capital of ruby and sapphire. Many a traveler to Thailand has been subjected to the notorious gem scams, which usually begin with a street approach around Bangkok’s Grand Palace or Wat Pho, but that scam only thrives on the existence of the real deal. Where to find the real deal? ...










