May Newsletter - Back to business as usual?

Usually this time of year in Thailand we are slowly getting back to work after the excesses of Songkran – the Thai New year and biggest festival of the year. Not so this year as this holiday was cancelled just as Easter and Ramadan have been affected in other parts of the world.

The one good thing is that we are actually AT work which makes us very lucky with so many people stuck at home, our skeleton crew is still taking orders and shipping gemstones worldwide. There have been disruptions of course but by one means or another we are able to get our gemstones to you no matter where you are.

We feel particularly blessed as our province has been in partial lockdown and has not had a Covid-19 case for over a month now.

We are facing the prospect of a very different future in the gemstone world and it is very difficult to predict how our industry and others will look. What we do know is that gem fairs and mineral shows where dealers and buyers gather in person from all parts of the globe will struggle for a while to come.

Just in the last few weeks exhibitions in Brazil, Japan, Las Vegas, Switzerland and Australia have been cancelled or delayed and, with international travel restrictions so uncertain in the future, it is hard to see some of them coming back.

We are situated in Chanthaburi in Eastern Thailand which is a major centre for the trade and cutting of gemstones and usually dealers from all over the world fly in and out to show their wares. This has come to a sudden stop of course but luckily we have local traders filling the gap and a large stockpile of gemstones to tide us over.

GemSelect was established as an online gemstone selling business and it looks like online buying of literary everything will become the new normal even after this dreadful crisis is over.

Nothing can replace the joy of physically seeing and handling beautiful gemstones displayed at an exhibition booth or in a crystal store and, equally, the opportunity to meet and speak with other people with the same passion for crystals to exchange knowledge and experiences will be sorely missed.

Let’s hope it is not too long before we are able to attend such shows and visit the local gemstone stores.

Taking a virtual tour of our 1000s of gemstones on sale may make up for it a little, there will be some you are not so familiar with I am sure, and the information pages may be of interest too. If you have any questions about our gemstones please do not hesitate to contact us.

We should all be grateful to have roofs over our heads and food in our stomachs but not being allowed to go out and about visiting friends, taking a trip, going to the beach can be very dispiriting so I have a few gemstones to help.

Carnelian is known as a gemstone of motivation and endurance, urging courage and fortitude and has a calming energy that will help you overcome anxieties.

Citrine is an optimistic gemstone full of sunshine and light that will help fight feelings of depression. If its spiritual powers are not enough, the golden yellow and orange colors are sure to brighten your day.

Lastly, in times like this it is important to stay positive and be grateful for the things we do have not what we have lost. Sunstone will reinforce feelings of positivity and will reduce the stresses that can keep you feeling down.

Of course, if you are feeling unwell or suffering any emotional distress during this worrying period, please seek professional medical help.

A quick reminder that the birthstone for May is the emerald, one of the ‘big four’ most precious gemstones, and is thought of as a symbol of rebirth, growth and fertility.

See our Birthstones by Month article here

From all of us at GemSelect,

Be safe and be kind.

Customer Questions

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Happy Gemstone Hunting!

Team GemSelect