Most of the time the jewelry styling of Myanmar
- Burma jewelry is not very up to date.
The gold, ruby, sapphire and semi precious
stones jewelry items made in Myanmar don't have a real modern fashion styling
due to the isolation of Myanmar - Burma in the past, there
is only very limited interaction with the outside world, but
usually you get a good
quality.
To start shopping for jewelry in and
from Myanmar - Burma you should go to the Bogyoke Market in
Yangon down town.
There you find at least 50 jewelry shops selling jade
items, from the simple bangle to the most exquisite carving of jade elephants and many other jewelry items with
ruby, sapphire and various semi precious stones.
Take enough cash with you since due to
the US embargo credit cards cant be accepted ....and do a
orderly bargaining. If you like a expensive item
very much, lets say they ask for $ 300,- or more,
take a Myanmar - you can trust - with you and show
him or her what you like, check the price for
you and go.
The next day send the
Myanmar person and tell to buy but only for about half the
price, but don't go in with them, wait outside somewhere. The
reason is, a Myanmar person usually gets the jewelry, gold, ruby, sapphire and
plenty of semi precious stones
for half the price you can get.
Myanmar Jewelry
refers to ornamental devices worn by
persons, typically made with gems
and precious metals. Costume jewelry is made
from less valuable
materials. However, jewelry can and has been
made out of almost every kind of material. Examples include
bracelets, necklaces, rings, and earrings,
as well as items like hair ornaments or body
piercing jewelry.
Myanmar jewelry, particularly when
made with precious materials, is generally
considered valuable and desirable. Some
cultures have a practice of keeping large
amounts of wealth stored in the form of
jewelry. Jewelry can also be symbolic, as in
the case of Christians wearing a crucifix in
the form of jewelry, or, as is the case in
many Western cultures, married people
wearing a wedding ring. And what can
symbolize love and, of course, the wedding
ceremony more than a diamond?
Diamonds are graded by
four characteristics: cut, carat (weight),
clarity, and color. All four of these
properties determine how much a diamond is
worth.
Cut - What is the
proportion of the diamond? Round brilliant
diamonds are commonly cut with 58 facets.
The better proportioned these facets are on
the diamond, the more light will be
reflected back to the viewer's eye. This is
extremely important. When cut properly, the
diamond will sparkle more. Diamond cuts are
measured by the table percentage, so always
ask for it. Cut also refers to the shape
such as: round, pear, and oval.
Carat - How big is the
diamond? Larger diamonds often cost more per
carat due to their size. There are 100
points to a carat. Hence a 50 point diamond
is 1/2 a carat. (There are 5 carats to a
gram.)
Clarity - How clear is the
stone? Clarity ranges from flawless
(perfect) to I (included). Here is a
summary:
Color: Diamond colors
generally range from D - X for white and
yellow diamonds. D is the whitest.
Beside of "Fancy" yellow
Diamonds. One can also find green, pink,
red, blue and brown diamonds - though these
are usually irradiated.
Diamonds are often
treated. If you are concerned about getting
true value for your money, know what you are
getting. Be sure to read the fine print.
Diamonds with inclusions
are sometimes filled with glass to make them
appear clearer. An inclusion is an
imperfection internal to the diamond. Filler
can be damaged by heat, ultrasonic cleaning,
and by re-tipping. The filling does not
repair the inclusion, it just makes it less
visible. They can be painted to offset a
yellow tinge. The paint wears off rather
quickly.
Finally, now that you have
that precious stone, here are some tips as
to how to take care of it. Diamonds are
often thought to be unshatterable.
Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Diamonds are brittle: If you hit a diamond
hard, they WILL crack or chip if mishandled.
Don't wear your diamond when doing rough
work.
Storage: Store diamonds
separately. When stored with other jewelry,
diamonds may scratch other jewelry (or each
other).
Cleaning: The best method
for cleaning is a jeweler's polishing cloth.
Many jewelers will clean your diamond ring
for free if you are making another purchase
in the store.
Throughout the world, jewelry or body ornamentation
is an ancient and time-honored art form. Yet in the United
States and Myanmar, jewelry as art has only recently come
into its own.
Such jewelry art is not the series of gold tennis
bracelets lined up in a glass case at the mall. Nor is
it the design of a single artist whose staff puts it into
mass production. These are handcrafted, one-of-a-kind works
conceived and executed by the artist with all the technical
elements and aesthetics that carry it across the line into
the realm of fine art.
Diamonds can be an agent's best friend: underserved
jewelry market leaves... "The distinction between
mass-produced jewelry and art jewelry is not just in the
quantity but the design," said jewelry artist Myo Myint at
Yangon Myanmar. "I've seen some stunningly high-quality
jewelry designs in a department store that wouldn't be
considered fine art, and I've seen $5,000 diamond and
Myanmar ruby earrings that have no design quality to them.
Art is in the eye of the beholder."
Myanmar jewelry art could be identifies as "ethnicized
contemporary" jewelry drawn from historical images, as well
as craft and folk art. Used are, gold, platinum, sterling
silver, high-quality
Myanmar precious stones and
pearls, but to mix them up it becomes interesting, putting
hand-made stones from Myanmar with natural
Myanmar
pearls--the fine and the not-so-fine--to create a
more hand-made appearance.
"Myanmar Jewelry-as-art depends on function and
intimacy,"Every piece of jewelry that leaves the Myanmar
jewelry art studio is entirely hand-fabricated. Myanmar
jewelry artists strive for perfection in design and
craftsmanship, not overly concerned that every form has
perfectly rounded edges or that every element be an exact
replication of its counterpart. Art should be individual and
unique and preserve for the viewer deliberate traces of the
decisions for fabrication; the passage of the hands through
materials."
Herein lies the realm of distinction between crude
commercial jewelry and Myanmar jewelry as fine art. Part
of the departure lies in the purpose or intention behind the
piece, whether it was made to be sold in quantity at a
profit and ultimately worn, or if it was created for the
sake of art--art that was hand crafted, using unconventional
materials or traditional materials in unconventional ways.
The closer the Myanmar jewelry artist remains to the
creative process, the closer the Myanmar jewelry is to fine
art.
"The difference is the same for jewelry as it is for
the other decorative arts, such as glass and ceramics,"You
can tell when they change into fine art because they cease
being functional, or they become sculptural objects
themselves.
Myanmar ruby jewelry continues to make inroads into
fine art venues such as galleries, high-end shows and expos,
and it is creating quite a presence in the marketplace.
Several fine art galleries are dedicates to art jewelry
and "Myanmar Jewelry Art Painting" where the Myanmar
jewelry artists make "paintings by using precious stones
instead of of the color paint.
Practically all cutting-edge of Myanmar Jewelry Art
Painting are coming out of
Yangon Myanmar.
Myanmar Jewelry has always been one of the
top-earning categories at the Myanmar Yangon Emporium held
twice per year.
There are a few
larger jewelry shops along the
main roads, e.g. on the road to the airport, who sell
jewelry, jewels, gold, ruby, sapphire and semi precious
stones for very high prices.
Some of this very expensive shops are actually owned by
Thai. ... and the prices are very high.
