This land of precious stones

JUST OPENED in February, Siamgems Heritage might remain a “hidden gem” because of its location out on Bangkok’s Ekkamai-Ram Indra Road, but let’s hope the word gets around, because the museum pays glorious tribute to the Thai craftsmen who’ve earned global admiration for their impressive skills.
Gemstone and jewellery manufacturer SG Centre set up the 2,000-square-metre museum in the same compound as its much larger showroom headquarters. There are five rooms that maintain visitor interest, with multimedia displays illustrating both the art and the science behind the making of jewellery.

The elephant sculptures are plated with nearly pure gold and adorned with gemstones.

The first items that catch the eye are enormous sculptures of elephants plated with 99.99-per-cent-pure gold and festooned with gemstones. The bull and calf stand on a base of elaborate “waves” symbolising the Chao Phraya River and the prosperity it’s generated for Thailand. 
The papa elephant carries a roofed throne on which sits a statue of the Buddha in the pang marn vichai (Subduing Mara) posture. 

Thailand’s wealth of gemstones is explored on a 360-degree screen.

Under the Siamgems Sphere cinema dome, visitors are gazing about at a 360-degree screen, learning about Thailand’s wealth of gemstones and the high art involved in crafting jewellery. Such talent has always been part of Siamese culture, as evidenced in our royal regalia, temple architecture and the elaborate costumes of khon dancers. 
The whole story is told through a light-and-sound presentation, but it’s unfortunately suffering a technical glitch this day. I don’t miss much, though, since the same five-minute film is also shown in a second theatre, on a 180-degree screen.

Museum manager Ayarin Tianrerksiri explains that the facility is a way for the company – which has been in jewellery business for more than 50 years – to educate and inspire students, artists and people in general about the trade. 
Thailand was long known as the world’s best source of rubies. They’re rarely found here today, but they’re still a favourite among Thais and most people are aware of the most expensive and rarest type of ruby ever unearthed here – the Tabtim Siam.

The rarest of them all, a 21.09-karat Siamese ruby adorns a diamond tiara along with 24 more scarlet stones.

And the museum has the rarest of them all – a 21.09-karat Tabtim Siam gracefully topping a 180-karat diamond tiara. Another 24 pieces of Tabtim Siam – each weighing one karat – complete the stunning piece.
One chamber, called “The Eternity of Gems”, traces the history of jewellery since the “Bead Age”, when shells, animal bones, marble and carnelian were commonly used as adornments. Next came the Bronze Age, the Gold Age when Thailand was known as Suvarnabhumi (Land of Gold), and the Gemstones Age of beauty-enhanced stones. 
Then there was the Refining Age that produced exquisite golden wares bejewelled with gems by master craftsmen, particularly during the Ayutthaya Period when Siamese arts enjoyed their renaissance.

 The items mimic the originals on view at the Chao Sam Phraya Museum in Ayutthaya.

Replicas of several artefacts housed in the national museums are showcased to fully explain the evolution. You can see earrings made of clamshells – copies of those made 4,000 to 5,000 years ago at Khok Phanom Di in Chon Buri – and replicated bronze bells, bangles and an armband like those found at Ban Chiang in Udon Thani.
The Gold Age is represented by dozens of faux Dvaravati-era pieces dating to the 10th century. The real ones are in the U Thong National Museum in Suphan Buri, but the replicas afford a fine idea of their grandeur. Other items mimic the originals on view at the Chao Sam Phraya Museum in Ayutthaya.
Ayarin notes that many of the beads discovered at the Khok Phanom Di archaeological site were shaped like the letters ‘I’ and ‘S’. The dig at Ban Chiang has demonstrated that the Northeast was a rich source of bronze and a major production base in Southeast Asia for bronze jewellery. “We’ve done intensive research with consultants from the Gem and Jewellery Institute of Thailand,” she says.

Diamonds and semiprecious stones are held securely in display glass cases and can be examined in detail via hologram imaging.

You learn more about the craftsmanship in the room called “The Reflection”. Thai artisans must develop great expertise to cut and engrave gemstones in such a way that they glow appealingly. 
Glass cases (as secure as might be expected) hold real diamonds and semiprecious stones, and you can examine the facets in fine detail with the help of highly realistic 3D hologram imaging.
“This is the art of lapidary,” Ayarin explains. “For diamonds, the ‘brilliant cut’ is the most popular way of cutting the raw stone, because it both minimises weight loss and maximises light reflection, resulting in a beautiful sparkle. Cuts with an octagonal table and trapezoidal girdle are popular for emeralds, while oval cuts are typical for sapphires.”
Rubies and blue, yellow and green sapphires are categorised as precious stones because of their hardness rating, just one level below that of diamonds.

Thailand was long the world’s leading source of rubies, but they’re rarely found here today.

“Today sapphires are still unearthed in Chanthaburi and Trat and quartz in Kanchanaburi. Blue and yellow sapphires are more popular on the market than green sapphires – which Thais call khiew song – which have a dull shade. But the Bang Ka Ja mine in Chantaburi is good at making the green appear more yellow and brighter through a process called burning,” says Ayarin.
This heat treatment utilises electricity or an oil or gas flame to improve the colour and clarity. It can turn a white or milky sapphire blue, a green sapphire yellow and a brown zircon blue or even render it colourless.

On display are the major varieties of quartz – amethyst, citrine and star rose.

If a real ruby is beyond your financial reach, a spinel looks virtually the same and can still turn heads and fool the unaccustomed eye. Spinels – the best come from Myanmar – are seen in blue, green and black as well as red and pink.
“A gem’s value is based on its beauty, durability and rarity,” the museum director says. “The beauty derives from the colour, clarity and brilliance, while its rarity is a matter of supply and demand as well as its scarcity in nature. Unlike diamonds, for which there are strict pricing standards, the value of other gemstones tends to be based on each individual’s satisfaction.”

Bixbite

There is, however, the unusual case of red beryl, otherwise known as Bixbite. The museum has a very rare half-karat sample on display.
“Red beryl is so rare because its formation requires a unique geochemical environment. It’s been found in only a few locations in Utah, New Mexico and Mexico. The largest one in the world is just one karat and it’s valued at US$30,000.”

“Chamber of Virtue” room 

“Chamber of Virtue” is a hall devoted to the Thai belief in nopparat – the nine gemstones – that assigns the ruby, moonstone, zircon, emerald, yellow sapphire, diamond, blue sapphire, garnet and chrysoberyl to the sun, moon and planets, each in its way capable of bringing great fortune. 

Created specially for the museum, this jewellery features the nopparat – the nine gemstones associated with heavenly bodies, a ruby “sun” at the centre.

They’re routinely used on Buddha images and royal insignia, and the artisans at Siamgems Heritage have created astonishing, ornate jewellery sets with them. Since the ruby symbolises the sun, it’s always placed at the centre of each piece, surrounded by the others.

The “Tiara of the Lady” room has an exquisite diamond tiara bearing rare Siamese rubies, and seen working behind glass, expert jewellery artisans.

The “Tiara of the Lady” room holds a sensational diamond coronet that’s a true masterpiece of meticulous hand-crafting, replete with a host of luminous, scarlet Siamese rubies. Also behind glass so they won’t be disturbed, the artisans can be watched at their labours, fashioning more wonderful pieces.
Finally there’s the “Gemology” room, encapsulating in video and displays of equipment the entire process of making fine jewellery, from initial design and the delicate cutting of gems to their framing and mounting.

The process of making jewellery with a computer program is illustrated in a video.

“I read in the newspaper about the museum opening and it’s close to home and free for now, so I decided to have a look,” says Siripapha Chitlamai, 53. “The extensive information and multimedia presentations make it very interesting and very impressive.”
 
PREPARE TO BE DAZZLED
The Siamgems Heritage Museum is on Ekkamai-Ram Indra Road (Praditmanutham). It’s open daily from noon to 5pm (no admission after 4).
Admission is free for Thais until April 16 and then Bt200 (Bt100 for children). Foreigners pay Bt300 (Bt200 for children).
There are guided tours every half-hour with guides able to speak Chinese as well as Thai (English coming soon). 
To find out more, call (02) 949 9500 or visit www.SiamgemsHeritage.com.