Shopping

Shopping


ChiangMaiis without a doubtThailand’smajor centre for quality
handicrafts, both traditional and modern, hilltribe handicrafts
and antiques.  Top buys include:


Cottons & Silks

First-class Chiang Mai cottons and silks are of incomparable
quality and suitable for various fashion and furnishing applications.
The largest possible selection is available in San Kamphaeng.


Umbrellas/Parasols

These are inextricably associated with Bo Sang where villagers
have been engaged in their manufacture for at least 200 years.
All materials, silks, cottons, Sa paper (manufactured from the
bark of the mulberry tree) and bamboo are produced or found
locally. Visitors to Bo Sang will see literally hundreds of designs
and sizes ranging from the miniature to the gigantic.


Silverware

The finest Thai silverware  is made in Chiang Mai, where
certain families have practised their art for several generations.
Traditional skills and a guaranteed content of at least 2.5%
pure silver invest bowls, receptacles and decorative items with
authentic value. Silver shops are concentrated on Wua Lai Road,
where the artisans and their families live.


Lacquer-ware

Typified by striking black and gold designs, lacquer enhances
items made of wood, bamboo, metal, paper and baked clay in
the form of receptacles, ornaments and different souvenirs.


Furniture/Woodcarving

Woodcarving is a traditional northern Thai art featured in numerous
temples, while in modern times it has been increasingly
used to embellish furniture-screens, chairs, tables, beds, indeed
anything bearing a wooden surface large enough to be carvedas well
as in carved elephants, figurines, tableware and other
popular items.  Chiang Mai’s Ban Thawai village in Hang Dong
district is a major centre of furniture making.  Principal woods
and materials include teak, rosewood and rattan.


Hilltribe Products

These include silver ornaments, from bracelets, necklaces, and
pendants to pipes of intricate design, and richly embroidered

items including tunics, jackets, bags, purses, caps, and dress
lengths.


Pottery

Chiang Mai is a major centre of Thailand’s pottery industry.
Prized items include high-fired celadon which is produced in
many forms, including dinner sets, lamp bases and decorative
items.