Jewellers and Goldsmiths | Penang tourists guide
Jewellers and Goldsmiths | Penang tourists guide | ||||
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The streets of Penang may not be proverbially paved with gold, but they are certainly lined with goldsmiths and jewellers. As a true blue Penangite once put it, a casual stroll along Campbell Street, Pitt Street and Little India is enough to make one sated with gold (tengok pun dah kenyang). This is no exaggeration, as myriad jewellers and goldsmiths are found there. Indeed, there are enough gold and gems to fill Aladdin's cave many times over! There is also a historical link between the goldsmith trade and Penang, as evidenced by the presence of the Ta Kam Hong (or Goldsmith's Association). Founded in 1832, the guild is the largest association of goldsmiths in Malaysia. The guild temple at No. 41, Lebuh Muntri was built in 1903 and dedicated to the patron god of goldsmiths, Wu Ching. Members of the guild were mainly form Kwangtung Province in China. Their descendants are continuing the gold trade until today. Indians and Chinese hold gold in high esteem. Among the Indians, it is often given as dowry in the form of 22 or 24 carat gold made into jewellery, often incorporating gold coins. Wedding guests also give gold coins as lucky wedding gifts. Some expensive sarees are made from hand-woven Indian silk, real gold thread and Swarovski crystals. During the Chinese tea ceremony, gold rings or necklaces are presented to the wedding couple. Incidentally, the mas kahwin in a Malay wedding actually refers to money, even though the term translates as "nuptial gold". The amount of money is quite modest, and the amount depends on whether the bride is a virgin or widow, royalty or plebeian! Having gotten your hopes up, what does Penang have to offer admirers of all that glitters? Well, plenty. Whether you're hunting for that heirloom jade brooch or antique kerongsang, anklet, nose stud or upmarket designs, you've found the right place to shop. You can buy off-the-shelf items or custom make something you desire. Even if you want to see how fine jewellery is crafted, a factory tour for visitors is available. Trained goldsmiths in Penang can create almost any contemporary or traditional designs in Western, Chinese, Malay or Indian styles. You can bring your own stones and designs for them to work on, or use what they have. Materials available include platinum, gold, silver, various precious and semi-precious stones and suasa (an alloy of copper and gold). The last item is popular among Muslim men, whose religion forbids them to wear pure gold. As suasa has a higher copper content, it is permissible for Muslim men to wear it. Among feng shui adherents, semi-precious stones like amethyst, jade, jasper, citrine, rose quartz, turqoise and lapis lazuli in the form of pendants, trees, spheres or bracelets attract positive energy and deflect negative ones. If you also have a knack for serendipity, you may end up with a bagful of genuine bargains to take home. Just follow our quick guide. Retailers Amee Philips Anverdeen Jewels B P De Silva (M) Sdn Bhd Berkat Jewels Boon Wah Jewellers Cheong Yoon Jewellers City Jewellers Faruk Jewellers Habib Jewels Sdn Bhd Hj. S. Abdul Wahab J K Jewellers Kim How Jewellers Kum Kok Hung Gold & Jewellers OE Fine Jewellers Poh Foong Loong Jewellers Shameer Jewels Sdn Bhd Soon Heng Goldsmith & Jewellers Tai Meng Jewellers Thai Loong Jewellers Varusai Jewellers Oeding-Erdel (OE) Factory tour Batik retailers | Chain stores | Flea market | second hand goods | Jewelers & goldsmiths | ||||
