Turkish gold has already acquired myths and legends. Some people think it is very cheap, others think about its low quality. However, it is rare that a tourist will refuse the temptation to look into a jewelry store in Turkey, and almost no one leaves there without a pleasant purchase. Such a “souvenir” will not burden your luggage, but will warm your soul for a long time. How to buy gold in Turkey - where, for how much, and how to find the best jewelry with maximum benefit for your wallet?
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- Jewelry stores in Turkey Jewelry Center
- Small jewelry store
- Jewelry stores for locals
Jewelry stores in Turkey
Few tourists realize that there are differences between shops. The design of the product and its price will depend on where exactly you decide to go for jewelry. In resort Turkey you can buy jewelry in one of three places.
Jewelry center
Huge shops with several floors in resort Turkey are located at some distance from the hotels and the center. They offer a free trip: a group of several people is recruited, buyers are taken shopping in an organized manner and returned to the hotel. There are two surprises from such a trip - the first is pleasant: tourists are delighted with the luxurious interiors of such centers, the service and the beauty of the decorations. But the second one turns out to be unpleasant: the prices are not at all as low as expected.
How to buy gold in shopping centers? Despite the fact that the establishment looks very respectable, bargaining is no less appropriate here than at a fruit and vegetable market. Reduce the price until it is acceptable. If the final price is still very high, but you like the product and your heart doesn’t want anything else, try the following maneuver: leave without purchasing it and return on your own another day.
Trip organizers charge the store a certain percentage for delivering the goods to customers, and often the seller keeps the price based on the amount of the intermediary's remuneration.
Pros: Shopping at jewelry centers is well organized, enjoyable and completely safe, and the selection of products is simply endless.
Cons: Prices may be higher than in smaller stores.
Small jewelry store
Every resort town and village has a bazaar. Tourists come here to stroll and buy a nice souvenir. There are also jewelry shops here. They sell very inexpensive children's earrings and bracelets, wedding rings, elegant items with precious stones and branded jewelry - Cartier and Roberto Bravo. Prices for the latter will be significantly lower than in Russian boutiques.
How to buy: when bargaining with the seller, take a closer look - is there a store owner on the horizon? The biggest discounts can only be obtained from the owner - a simple seller is limited in his powers, but the owner is often ready to sell the item with a minimal markup.
Jewelry stores for locals
They are located a little further from the resort center - as a rule, on the second or third line, in the area of residential areas. Prices there may be lower than in the first two places. However, the design of the products will vary greatly. Oriental jewelry designed for Turks is offered.
Heavy, massive bracelets made of 22-karat gold are sold here - such jewelry is given to brides; Turkish women wear these bracelets almost without taking them off. You can also buy pure gold coins of different weights - quarter, half and whole.
It is best to go to a Turkish jewelry store for just such items. The jewelry here is suitable only for those who are interested in oriental design.
How not to get screwed? Turkish gold. Part 3
Continuation of the theme: gold jewelry or gilded? TURKISH GOLD
Turkish gold jewelry and other products made of precious metals are extremely in demand both among domestic buyers and among tourists from European countries.
The reason for this is the unique oriental design of jewelry and its very low cost.
However, few buyers think about why the price of similar products in Turkey is significantly lower than, for example, in Russia or Europe. Everyone is attracted by the availability of jewelry and is absolutely not bothered by the question of what it is made of.
But it often happens that under the guise of natural gold they sell us fake or gold-plated silver, or perhaps lead with rolled gold...
In order not to fall for the tricks of scammers and not to purchase a “fake”, before buying Turkish gold, you should know a few simple nuances that will help you distinguish real gold from fakes.
What's wrong with Turkish gold? So, point by point:
- There is no gold mining in Turkey. Local factories make jewelry from German or American precious metal.
- An alloy can have completely different alloys. For example, palladium in a product is often replaced with nickel, which causes an allergic reaction in many people.
- There is no state control over jewelry activities in Turkey. The product may have such a test that the manufacturer himself wanted to put on it.
- Turkish gold can sometimes even turn out to be gilded silver.
- Under the guise of gold jewelry, Turks often offer to buy tombak, an alloy of zinc and copper, which gives the jewelry a golden color. Such fakes can be found even in large stores. Of course, you can make someone happy with Turkish gold jewelry. But problems will probably begin with the product soon.
Do not buy 958 gold jewelry with a reddish tint in Turkey. Most likely, they are deceiving you and, instead of almost pure gold, they want to sell a product with a high copper content.
Almost the same problems exist with the “gold” jewelry of Egypt. The easiest way to determine where the gold jewelry is and where the tombak is -
It is recommended to test the product by ear: toss the Turkish ring you like along with your gold one. The sound of falling decorations should be the same. If this is not the case, you have reason to think that this is a beautiful imitation made of tombac.
For all jewelry made of precious metals, the manufacturer and the seller himself issue official quality certificates confirming the authenticity of the product and its characteristics.
It is not recommended to buy jewelry without the appropriate certificates (necessarily with a seal). But to be honest, I have never received a certificate with gold jewelry, maybe I bought jewelry in the wrong price segment? but the tag must be there!!!
Special attention should be paid to tags and checks issued during the sale of goods (checks, especially those issued for non-cash payments, must have the seller’s signature). The tag (label) on the jewelry should not have any traces of a thread break and should display the full characteristics of the product, its weight, sample, metal and series.
In order to avoid buying fake gold, you should follow a few simple rules (this applies not only to Turkey, but to all other countries):
1- Request a receipt and certificate from the seller.
2- Don’t be shy and inspect the product for signs of counterfeiting.
3- Check the sample.
4- Check tags.
5- Buy jewelry only from a store that provides certificates, a guarantee and a tester for checking jewelry.
This is approximately what a certificate for jewelry made of precious metals should be like! And please note that the certificate contains a detailed description of the jewelry indicating its weight and stone...
Here is another certificate, but there is no indication of weight, date, signature, seal...
And this is a somewhat truncated certificate - here all the information is dryly reflected in the article (in principle, in addition to the article, the weight of the jewelry, the carat of the diamond must be separately stated...). By the way, there is a tag from the decoration nearby...
and finally, one more certificate
The next topic is probably the most difficult for me - about gold-plated jewelry (see part 4)
Additional service
Any purchased product can be adjusted to size free of charge - stretched or reduced. There is always a special workshop next to the jewelry store or inside.
When making a purchase, you can ask to clean your old jewelry - everything is done very quickly and completely free. Engraving is done on children's bracelets or wedding rings.
The Turks readily accept orders - the jewelry they like is delivered to the store directly from the factory within 2-3 days.
Prices
Gold prices in Turkey depend on two factors - the official cost of a gram and the processing of the product itself - diamond cutting, machine grinding or handmade. Designer jewelry will cost more, and the cheapest ones will be smooth rings, chains and bracelets with simple weaving, and children's earrings.
The best time to buy gold is when the official price per gram falls. Each piece of jewelry is weighed and the seller announces the price. Do not forget that after the price has been announced, you can and should start bargaining.
Turkish gold price
Most tourists who come to Turkey often purchase gold jewelry because of its low cost. The price of the cheapest jewelry ranges from $40 to $65 per gram. But in return you will receive a low-quality product.
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In order not to make a mistake when purchasing Turkish gold, you should go to special and large stores, where the seller will be able to provide all the documents for the product. But at the same time, the price will not differ from Russian products, and the quality will still be slightly lower.
When purchasing jewelry in Turkey, it is worth noting that even products with the same characteristics and weight have different prices, which completely depends on the location of the store.
For example, in the city of Kemer, where many tourists arrive every day, a simple gold chain will cost about $400-500, and in a small town the same chain will cost $100-200 less. In Russia you can purchase it for $600-700 from resellers.
Trying to save your money, you risk buying a low-quality product. Often, Turkish sellers, passing off their goods as pure precious metal, actually slip in alloys that have a low purity and a small percentage of gold content.
Gold color
For those who are not accustomed to European jewelry, Turkish jewelry looks unusual. Some even begin to doubt whether they are really made of gold? The fact is that European jewelry is most often made of yellow gold. There are only three shades in total:
- Red gold (traditional for Russia) received its hue due to the admixture of copper.
- Yellow - the proportion of copper here is very small, the composition includes silver.
- White - gets its noble shade, different from silver products, due to the admixture of palladium.
For 20 years, the Turks have already taken into account the commitment of Russian tourists to red gold, so it is included in the assortment. Turkish jewelry made from 2-3 types of gold is very beautiful.
How to distinguish a fake?
Turkish gold is considered a good souvenir. But what rules do you need to know so as not to bring home low-quality Turkish jewelry?
Red brass
Basically, Turkish sellers are accustomed to selling tombak instead of precious gold - an alloy that consists of copper and zinc.
The appearance of such a product will be worthy; it is quite difficult to distinguish it from noble metal. Such a fake can be bought even in specialized Turkish stores.
At the same time, the presence of markings on the decoration does not matter. Jewelry in Turkey often contains too little gold.
Jewelry makers mainly mix two alloys: a third of the jewelry is created from gold, and the rest is made from an additional metal that imitates real gold.
It can be:
- Electron – gold and silver.
- Polyxene is platinum with a huge number of additives.
- Goldin - aluminum and copper.
- Belgica – chrome, nickel, iron.
You may be interested in: Ways to authenticate gold at home
Even with such a composition, jewelry will still be designated as high grade.
To avoid getting caught in such a purchase, pay enough attention to the product you choose. Some people prefer to use a jewelry detector, but it is worth noting that it cannot always determine the real precious metal from a tombac.
Before making a purchase, check the jewelry by ear: throw the jewelry along with your (gold) one. Make sure that the sound when dropped is exactly the same as that of your jewelry.
All Turkish gold has a pleasant reddish color. Do not trust a seller who passes off his goods as high-grade metal. The red color of the jewelry is due to the high copper content. Therefore, the selected product cannot be highly labeled.
In order not to make a mistake with your choice, it is recommended to contact large and popular jewelry stores. In Turkey, you can easily purchase high-quality gold products, but their price will be exactly the same as in our country.
Try
The yellow tint does not affect the sample in any way - it is the same here, 585. It is only designated differently - the number 585 corresponds to 14K (karat). Products with precious stones are often higher, 750 grade or 18K. And finally, pure gold (coins and bracelets) have 999 purity - 24K.
There must be a hallmark on the back of the product, but it can be indicated by carat value - there is no deception here.
In large shopping centers, a certificate is issued for each product, which indicates the carat of gold (fineness) and the carat (size) of precious stones. A separate certificate must also be issued for designer products from Cartier, Tiffani, Roberto Bravo.
Is there fake gold in Turkey?
It is not easy to openly sell counterfeit products in Turkey. All trade is carefully monitored by the authorities, numerous inspections and raids are carried out.
Every owner of a jewelry store must obtain a special permit to trade. Such a certificate always hangs on the wall at the entrance.
The only thing tourists should remember is that gold in Turkey is never sold at outdoor bazaars, secondhand, or in dubious stores. For example, there should not be a jewelry department in a store with a different specialization. If you are offered to make such a purchase, it is a scam.
