Intricately complex, beautifully simple, jewellery made from silver takes on quite contrasting forms by craftspeople of different ethnic traditions. But this kind of work requires concentration, dedication and heaps of patience to achieve the skills of the past and it is not surprising that, increasingly in this fast-action world, it is difficult to find young people with the incentive to carry it on. But, for now, there remain small pockets of skilled communities still producing hand-tooled beads and hand-linked chains using methods handed down through generations with only a few modern machine short-cuts, usually in the preparation of the raw materials.

Phu Phiang tours will take you to meet these last remaining groups of dedicated craftspeople about whom you can only marvel at the complexities of creating something so deceptively simple with classic designs that are appreciated by customers the world over. Who knows? Are we experiencing the very last remnants of these skills, soon to be lost for ever?

Many types of gemstones are found in Thailand such as ruby, blue sapphire, aquamarine, amethyst and more.

This includes both cutting, the art of making gemstones into desirable shapes, and setting, the art of selecting the appropriate design and material to form attractive jewellery. Jewellery production in Thailand is carried out both in small home workshops and in large factories using more advance tools. Whichever way, jewellery production is very labour-intensive but, because of the reputation of Thai artisans, jewellery exports now form a significant source of income for the country.

Natural Products like sea shells and coconut shell are also used as materials for making adornments. Producer of these products are mostly found close to coastal areas of Southern Thailand.