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‘Gruchang, Gold Ornaments of Ancient Style’ Jewellery displayed on the website might be out of stock. Please call 08-3718-8850, 08-9459-7773 for an update of available stock before a shop visit. For mutual understanding, please refer to numbers listed under pictures. Orders are accepted. Thank you. |
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(Note: Gruchang provides for sale a vast collection of jewellery directly from skilled jewellery makers.
At present,
we are the sole shop without any branches or distributors.) |
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Gruchang, Gold Ornaments of Ancient Style, we hand-craft to order Thai ancient styled gold jewellery: necklace, bracelet, case pendant for amulet of Buddha image, pendant, chest ornament ‘Tubsuang’, ring, bangle, earrings, nuptial jewellery, hair pin, Niello silverware, pure gold gilded Niello silverware, other types of ancient styled gold jewellery: fine gold Tubsuang with Chasing and Repouss? technique and Rachawadee enameling, fine gold casket, fine silver casket, fine gold tiered umbrella, fine silver tiered umbrella, Buddha image regalia, other fine gold jewellery with Chasing and Repouss? technique and Rachawadee enameling of commissioned design, gold jewellery of Phetchaburi techniques, gold jewellery of ancient Phetchaburi techniques.
Gruchang, Gold Ornaments of Ancient Style Tel. 08-3718-8850 |
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Tubsuang is a bejewelled ornament of rhomboid shape traditionally worn on the chest supported by 2 crosswise chains across the chest. Tabna or Tabtub are also called. The piece’s form is applied from ‘Prajumyam’, one of major Thai patterns. The raised centre is always adorned with gemstones. The decorative pattern can be of Thai or foreign origin. There are 2 types of Tubsuang: ‘Tua-mia’ (female) features a bigger size and dangling minute components at pointed ends and lower half’s border and ‘Tua-phu’ (male) is usually smaller without any hanging parts.
Gold Ancient Tubsuang
The outline shape obviously resembles Prajumyam pattern: a rhombus with slightly curve-up tips and the centre is a round or oval detailed cluster. The decorative motif is independently designed by the artisan. This Tubsuang was crafted using traditional Chasing & Repouss? and ancient stone setting techniques. The hollow Tubsuang was then fully filled with a mixture of mainly natural resin to make it strong enough to maintain its shape and prevent it from being deformed when put in use.
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‘Kumlai Kanbua’ or Lotus Stem Bangle
and Gold Ancient ‘Kumlai Huabua’ or Lotus-Head Bangle
In the old days, the Lotus Stem Bangle is originally an anklet for a child. It resembles a big disconnected hoop. The two ends are marked all round with scribed lines. To wear it, the bangle is twisted sideway. This kind is called Lotus Stem Bangle. The other is the bangle that has lotus shaped ends. Its body can be formed by the same technique of the Lotus Stem Bangle, except for both ends are worked into Chased and Repouss? lotus. It is put on by the same twist. If the bangle is otherwise constructed in hard form, the two ends are sculpted by Chasing & Repouss? technique into a lotus with bas-relief petals, and ‘Prajumyam’ pattern. Normally, the lotus ends is made of gold while the body is pink gold.
The lotus ends are more like sheaths encasing the tip of bangle shafts. To assemble the bangle, one sheath is permanently solder to the shaft while a screw is inserted to secure the other lotus sheath in place. When putting on and taking off, the screw is unfastened and this lotus head is removed from the bangle shaft, providing sufficient space for the wrist. The goldsmith will typically engrave these lotus-end sheaths. Cont. >> Petchburi Gold << |
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Background of Gruchang, Gold Ornaments of Ancient Style (established 20--)
Gruchang means artisans’ trove (gru – trove, chang – skilled craftsman). Gruchang is founded as the product outlet for united silver/goldsmiths specialized in Thai ancient styles. Most of them are graduates from the Golden Jubilee Royal Goldsmith College. They are members of new generations who revived expertise of centuries ago. Their diversified expertise includes specific techniques of various ancient styles of gold artwork: Petchburi, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Rattanakosin and Surin gold work styles and many others. Cont. >> Gold Ancient Ornament<< |
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Guru-Chang Antique Gold Jewelry. Tel. 083-7188850
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Gold or fine gold is a chemical element with atomic number 79 and the symbol Au (from Latin: aurum). Pure gold is a soft, malleable transition metal of bright yellow lustre. It can be extended or beaten into a thin sheet. Fine gold does not react to most chemicals. Many countries use gold as monetary reserve. Besides, gold is utilized in modern industries, namely jewellery, dentistry and electronics.
Characteristics of Gold
Gold always remains lustrous. It is resistant to oxidation. Gold is, therefore, unaffected by air; its glowing colour doesn’t tarnish and it won’t be corroded. Gold is the most malleable and ductile of all metals. 2 bahts (30.48 grams) of gold can be extended into a wire of 8 kilometers (4.97 miles) or can be beaten into a thin sheet of 100 square feet. Being an excellent conductor of heat and electricity, gold also effectively reflects radiant heat. It is coated on faceplates of astronauts’ helmets to shield off infrared radiation.
Man has known gold for five thousand years as a medium of exchange and a means to store wealth. Fine gold has a melting point of 1,064 ?C ( 1,947 ?F ) and its boiling point is
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Pure gold is one of the least chemically reactive elements. As a result, it is resistant to corrosion and doesn’t get rusty in air. However, gold is not chemically inert. It reacts to some chemicals, namely chlorine, fluorine and borax.
These attributes together with its attractive physical properties make gold a precious metal untiringly desired by mankind for thousands of years. Gold has long been used internationally as a standard for monetary exchange. Gold is also the main raw material of jewellery manufacturing.
Gold is the most accepted metal in jewellery industry. It is because gold is the only precious metal that possesses 4 fundamental characteristics which distinguish it from its counterparts and imposters and render it supremely sought-after above all precious metals on earth:
• Attractive Lustre. Gold’s natural colour and sheen brings about an immortal beauty. Its colour can be created in many shades. Fine gold is usually alloyed with other precious metals and base metals to produce a variety of colours for fortified attractiveness and various uses.
• Durability. Gold resists oxidative corrosion and never gets tarnished. It simply stands the test of time.
• Rarity. Gold is a rare ore. To obtain one ounce of gold (31.167 grams), a gold mine was excavated deep within the earth where several tons of gold-bearing ore matrices were mined, then metallurgically extracted. It is a process that demands outrageously high cost of production, thus the expensive price of gold.
• Reusability. Gold is the most suitable precious metal for jewellery due to its ductility and softness. Its malleability also makes it easy to shape. Moreover, Gold can be repeatedly reused by mere melting or recycled in purified state through refining.
Occurrence of Gold
According to a summarized document of Department of Mineral Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the formation of gold ore can be categorized into 2 modes in accordance with the nature of occurrence:
• Primary formation in lode deposits. Gold originates from a geological process of intense pressures and high temperatures together with mineralizing hydrothermal action and an infiltration of silica from silicated solution. Gold ore normally deposits in host rocks including igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Native gold is embedded in rocks or in hidden ‘veins’ traversing rocks.
• Secondary formation in alluvial deposits (called placer deposits/streams). Auriferous rocks in lode deposits eroded and preexisting native gold was disintegrated by weathering, and washing of the dust. Then released gold was transported to new places such as foothills, streams and rivers, where it collects in sediment of sand and gravel at the bed.
Primary or lode deposits of gold in Thailand
• Tomo deposit, Narathiwat province.
• Khao Samsib deposit, Sa Kaeo province.
• Cha-tree (Khao Pong) deposit, Phichit province – Phetchabun province.
• Doi-tung (Ban Pha Hie) deposit, Chiang Rai province.
• Khao Phanompha deposit, Phichit province.
Secondary or alluvial deposits of gold in Thailand
• Ban Pa Ron deposit, Prachuab Khiri Khan province.
• Ban Na Lom deposit, Prachin Buri province.
• Ban Thung Hua deposit, Lumpang province.
• Deposits in Khong river, Loei province – Nong Khai province.
• Ban Pha Chang Moob, Phayao province.
Weight Measurement of Gold
• Gram : mostly used, considered international weight measurement of gold.
• Troy ounce : used in English speaking countries, namely United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.
• Tola : used in the Middle East countries, India and Pakistan.
• Tael : used in Chinese speaking countries, namely China, Taiwan and Hong Kong
• Baht : used in Thailand
• Chi : used in Vietnam
Weight Conversion
Weight measurement of 96.5% pure gold (Thailand standard)
• Gold jewellery of 1 baht weight is equivalent to 15.16 grams.
• Gold bullion/bar of 1 baht weight is precisely 15.244 grams.
Weight measurements of 99.99% fine gold
• 1 kilogram of gold is equivalent to 32.1508 troy ounces.
• 1 troy ounce is defined as 31.1034768 grams.
• 1 troy ounce is equivalent to approximately 1.097 avoirdupois ounces.
• 12 troy ounces equal 1 troy pound.
• 1 troy pound is equivalent to 373 grams.
The term carat or karat is used to indicate the purity of gold present:
24 kt is 100% pure gold. It is gold in its purity and softness.
18 kt is 75% pure gold. It is softer than 14kt gold with richer shade of yellow. France, Italy and Switzerland accept 18kt gold as the lowest standard of gold.
14 kt is 58.33% pure gold. This is the minimum fineness widely considered by the US consumers which is actually above the legally permissible karatage.
12 kt is 50% pure gold.
10 kt is 41.6% pure gold. It is the legal minimum karat standard of gold in the United States while England accepts 9kt fineness as gold.
Accordingly, 96.5% pure gold of Thailand standard is 23kt. (23.16 karat to be exact)
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