Bangkok’s jewelry retailers who have built a solid business catering to expatriates are beginning to notice a growing number of Thai consumers in their shops. Uthai Daengrasmisipon of Uthai’s Gems, who dealt almost exclusively with foreign customers in the past, said that within the past two years Thai buyers have captured 20 to 30 percent of his sales.

            Based on his 32 years in the retail jewelry business, including 12 years with his own shop on Soi Ruam Rudee, Mr. Uthai said that Thais primarily buy 22k gold and diamond jewelry. However, Thais are slowly beginning to appreciate and purchase fashionable pieces set with semiprecious stones, he said.

            Unlike his foreign clients, who prefer a large ruby or sapphire encircled by small, secondary diamonds, Thais primarily buy more delicate-looking pieces where the main focus is on the diamonds.

            As for purchasing powers, Thai women, who know more about gems than Western counterparts, are less worried about the price. “If they like it, they’ll pay,” Mr. Uthai said. Western buyers, on the other hand, walking into the shop knowing how much they are willing to spend and will not go over this pre-determined budget.

            His line ranges from beads and silver priced from US$5-$50, to gold chains and gold jewelry set with colored stones and diamonds ranging from $100-$12,000.

            While some firms have experienced declining sales during the recent economic slowdown, Mr. Uthai said his figures remained stable. “I have a feeling I’m pretty lucky,” he said. “No one wants to return my pieces. If they came 10 years ago to buy from me, they still come.”

            Mr. Uthai said his business grew slowly among foreign clients, who had to learn to trust him after hearing bad reports that Thais overcharge for interior merchandise. Overtime, however, he became something of an institution among expatriates in Bangkok and foreigners visiting here. His clientele now includes former First Lady Nancy Reagan, head officials from many embassies in Bangkok and executives from major corporations.

            After leaving Thailand, clients from around the world, especially the US, continue to buy their jewelry from Mr. Uthai. One American woman sent him a signed blank check and asked him to pick something out for her for between US$6,000-$8,000.

            After years spent nurturing his foreign clients, Mr. Uthai finds himself fighting a harder battle developing a rapport among his new Thai clients. One hurdle he must overcome with Thai customers is the set prices in his shop.

            “Thai people are gradually getting used to the idea of not bargaining. But at first they feel it’s not good deal if they don’t bargain.”

            To crack the local market it is essential to open an outlet at a major shopping center, Mr. Uthai said. He plans to open a jewelry shop in an upscale shopping complex to attract a younger crowd. He wants his daughter to run the shop and sent her to study at the Gemological Institute of American as preparation because “Khunyings [Thai society ladies] like US graduates.”