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Tailor-made Clothing
Tailor shops around the island offer a wide range of fabrics
from which to have stylish clothes made in a matter of hours.
Many shops can design outfits from illustrations from magazines,
or copy sample clothes brought along by the customer. Usually
1 or 2 fittings are required to get the finer details right. Many
of the bigger hotels have a reliable, good quality service on
the premises for tailor made clothes. Cheaper alternatives can
be found almost everywhere, but it is difficult to guarantee quality
so beware!
Furniture
 Wonderful
antique and contemporary or recreated handcrafted furniture from
Thailand and the entire Asia region is available on the island.
Cabinets, tables, dining room, bedroom and outdoor settings and
fittings can also be made to order in a variety of mediums, including
teak, rosewood and bamboo.
Island Furniture, on Chao Fa Nok Rd, Phuket Town has a
good range of household furniture made from Teak, Rattan and Bamboo
(Tel: 263 707). Ban Boran Antiques, next to Ka Jok Si restaurant
on Takuapa Rd in Phuket Town, specialises in antique furniture
and collectibles from Burma and other Southeast Asian countries
(Tel: 212 473). In the surrounding streets of Takuapa and Yaowarat
Roads are other boutique shops offering antique furniture for
sale.
Following Thepkasattri Road out of Phuket Town and along the
highway just past the entrance to Boat Lagoon, are a number of
furniture shops with contemporary and antique wooden furniture
for sale and export. Another good location is heading out of Patong
along Rat Uthit Road toward Karon Beach, where there are a few
shops lining the road that sell recreations of wooden antique
furniture to order.
Gems, Gold and Jewelry
 Thailand
is a leading producer of sapphires and the world's largest cutter
of colored stones. Quality items are available at competitive
prices, however unless you are knowledgeable about stones, care
must be taken to shop at reputable specialist stores that will
issue certificates of authenticity. The Tourism Authority of Thailand
issues frequent warnings about shonky gemstone shops that dupe
customers into buying worthless stones for large sums of money.
Thai artisans can also craft jewelry to suit international tastes,
with prices set according to the amount of workmanship and detail
of the individual item. Gold jewelry and ornaments are also a
bargain in Thailand, with prices fixed according to "baht" weight
of the item and the level of workmanship. Items bought in Thailand
can be resold at current international prices. Excellent bargains
in gold chains, earrings, bracelets, pendants, and other delicate
handed crafted items can be found in most tourist areas of Phuket,
and most major hotels house jewelry stores offering exquisite
pieces for less than you might imagine, and with guarantees of
authenticity. In Phuket Town along Ranong Road, are a number of
traditional Chinese-Thai gold shops, distinctive for their completely
red and gold interiors.
For lovers of rare and antique jewelry items, The
Loft Art Gallery on Talang Road, Phuket Town, is a great
place to track down antique jewelry items from India, Burma, Laos,
Tibet and Thailand. Exotic artifacts include necklaces, bracelets,
buckles, buttons and earrings made from antique gold or silver,
with inlays of turquoise, jade and coral, and ivory, amongst other
things. The
Banyan Tree Galleries also feature interesting jewelry
from around Asia.
Cultured pearls are another local industry, and a number of shops
have pearl jewellery for sale.
Bronzeware
| Ceramics | Textiles
| Tailor-made Clothing | Furniture
Gems, Gold and Jewelry | Lacquerware
| Leather Goods | Neilloware
Paintings/Pencil Sketches
| Wickerwork Products | Cashews
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