Well here I am back in Bangkok nearing the end of another buying trip. It's been a lot of work as always but this time I grabbed a few days at the beginning just to chill, eat, work out and grab a daily massage ! This time I thought I was being smart by ordering a lot before the trip, some of which I'm still uploading. This way I thought I would not buy so much overseas, ignoring those famous Lennon words - life is what's happening while you're making other plans. I've ended up spending quite a lot more than usual !
Firstly I bought a lot of the new range of finer Jewellery ~ a nice fusion of casting with high quality gemstones which look great yet work out very affordably as the labour costs are lower. These are all coded S on the website. Also a lot of Watermelon Tourmaline so I went crazy with first choice. Plus lovely faceted Rose Quartz. Not a strong colour but so clear and full of light. Well, they opened my Heart !
On to my next supplier, an old favourite as the founder, like me, learned to love gemstones in the same Ashram in India. He was already part of an Indian Jewellery family but that experience of meditation changed his viewpoint dramatically. His manufacturing standards have always been high and he always finds interesting stones but this time he knocked me out with some amazing fancy cuts on Amethyst and Citrine. The top of the stones are normal, but the way they've been faceted by hand underneath I find is mesmerising.
I was still close to budget until yesterday. My last port of call had those sprung silver cuff bangles and the snake rings which I've been asking for for years, so that was a kilo and a half I didn't plan for. Then he had a bunch of lovely tourmaline cabs ...... beautiful but so expensive. Worry not, on these I've given a 30% discount because once I priced them I was shocked, but I'd rather have them than not.
Oh, I found some of those beautiful Epidote Quartz Crystal Clusters that were unavailable for a few years.
So there you go. My last night, I'm sitting at the rooftop bar with a glass of red and finishing this blog. I know it's time to leave when I get tired of Thai Food and find myself dreaming of Broccoli LOL. I miss my friendly staff and of course you, my lovely customers.
I'm feeling very grateful to all of you some stretching back 30 years. One thing I've learned on this trip, thanks possibly to the Trolleite I've been wearing, is to trust myself more and worry less. I hope you're all feeling something similar. That despite all the upheavals your centre, your inner core, is still intact and stronger than before.
Cheers, Namaste, Blessed Be.
Marc