The above photo illustrates the use of the Thai "M" style clasp usually used with Thai Baht gold chains. 23K gold is malleable, meaning quite easy to bend so to open and close the clasp is an easy and secure operation. It can be opened and closed thousands of times without breaking. In Thailand the clasp is usually worn in the front and carries a Buddha amulet. The amulet would be attached to the center of the clasp. The rule of thumb for purchasing a replacement clasp for a chain is to buy a clasp that is 1 gram weight per Baht weight (15.16 grams) of the chain. So a two Baht chain should have a 2-gram M clasp.

If you are lucky to have the broken clasp you can send it to us and we can turn it in for the spot price of gold that day. This can offset the cost or completely pay for the new clasp.

All M clasps from Thailand will be stamped "96.5%" to indicate purity. We have access to all sizes of M clasps and N clasps in solid 23K gold for necklaces and bracelets ranging in weight from 1/2 gram to 10 gram.

I blinked....and 5-years have passed!

Where does the time go? In five years we have experienced one coup de' tat, a major flood know as the "Great Thailand Flood" that wiped out part of our home and office, started "Bangkok Cat Rescue", traveled to Guang Dong, China, Hong Kong, Rangoon,Myanmar, Hanoi, Vietnam, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Vientiane, Laos, Siem Reap, Cambodia and Alaska, USA.

23kgold.com has grown with over 1100 customers who are all lovers of  Thai Baht Gold. I promise not to let another 5-years pass between blog posts. I look forward to having a central place to share the info I've learned on Gold jewelry and gemstone jewelry in the past 7 years of living in Thailand. My wife of 15 years works with me everyday in managing our businesses and she provides most of the energy and competence in making sure all is running smoothly.

Currently our gold price for our jewelry is $750.00 per Baht (15.16 grams). This is a 6-year low. As you might imagine the lines of Thai's at the gold shops in China town resemble the flock of people at an new Iphone offering...well maybe not as orderly. The Thai's know...this is the time to buy the precious metal. What will 2016 bring in gold prices? I hope to provide some guidance on this in the blog post ahead.

What is "Baht" gold?

The term Baht means several things in Thailand. Foremost the currency of Thailand is called the "Baht". In Thai jewelry the "Baht" signifies a weight. One Baht equals 15.16 grams in weight for both silver and gold. It is also true that when people (often Thai people) are referring to "Baht" gold in Thailand, they are also referring to the purity of the gold. The purity must be 96.5% or above for the jewelry to be considered "Baht Gold Jewelry". The high purity of the Thai gold and the excellent workmanship of the pieces are just a couple of the reasons Thai Baht jewelry is becoming so popular worldwide. This gold is considered over 23 karat and is purchased according to the weight of the piece plus the labor in making it.

The intent of this blog

Originally, I hoped to promote only our business but as I began thinking about what I should write I realized there is much to say about our life in Thailand so this blog with be a composite of our business posts to our customers and our personal comments and reflections about this foreign country we now call home. I hope I can keep it informative and real.

Living in Thailand

It was never a dream of ours to live in Thailand. Things just happen. My history with Thailand goes back to the late 90's when I was an English teacher here. But teaching in Thailand is entirely different blog entry that I hope I can offer you in the future. I'm talking about living in Thailand...full time. I have been married to a wonderful Thai woman for 10 years as of last May. After we were married we moved to the United States and settled in a beautiful Southwestern town in Arizona. Prescott (We call it "Preskit") is a picturesque and perfectly beautiful little town and we loved the four years we lived there. I was employed at a small radio station and it was kind of a kick for me to work in such a small market when I had on-air experience in New York and Los Angeles. The only problem was we had a longing to return to Thailand. I guess the fact that the station was bent on paying me a 1983 salary and my wife's English was only passable added to the desire to return to Thailand. We slowly freed ourselves from the chains of employment and built a small Internet business named 23kgold.com. To make a long story short it was that decision to work together on a business of our own that resulted in our ability to first visit Thailand for three months every year from 2004 to 2007 and secondly to move to Thailand permanently in 2008.
The experience of living in Thailand is truly amazing and it's easy to go on and on about all of the lovely reasons for coming here. However, it is far more difficult for me to explain the complexity of learning the Thai culture and living among the Thai people. I believe living here full-time would be a challenge for most Westerners. But if you can acclimate to the culture and the climate it can be a very wonderful life renewing experience