Legendary Thai silk reflects the rich diversity of Thai culture. Thailand's Northeast is home to Thais of various ethnic origins. Each has their own weaving and dyeing styles and techniques.

Thai people of Lao origin (Tai Lao) living in the south of the region are renowned for their Mut Mee and Khit silk, usually made into tubular skirts, or Phasin. In Southern Thailand, Pum Riang silk is produced by Thai Muslim villagers who apply traditional weaving patterns to Japanese silk, The Yok Nakhon cotton of Nakhon Si Thammarat is equally distinctive. Batiks and Patae skirts glow with the brilliant colors of Malay-influenced designs.

Certain parts of Thailand are blessed with a natural abundance of rubies, sapphires, zircon, onyx, jade and opal. Local cutting, design and manufacturing skills ensure a fine range of quality items with a wide choice of prices. The colored gemstones sparkling under the lights of the jewelry store windows can make anyone stop dead in their tracks.

Samui has a first rate lapidary on the island, while other stones or set pieces of precious and semi-precious quality are hand picked from Bangkok. Pearls are the specialty of the South and they come in a variety of makes, sizes and colors. From Southern pearl farms come the rare south seas pearl, cultured pearls, and Mobe pearls in every shade of cream, to pink, and black. Imitation pearls from this area are made from ground pearl dust and cemented by a secret formula.

Chaweng and Nathon Town are excellent places to have some custom clothes made to order by the resident dressmakers and tailors.

Whether you bring them your own personal sketches, or have clipped a photograph of the style you wish, you can be assured of receiving a quality garment within few days. Imported linens, blended wools, and print cottons are popular fabrics to choose from, while the lustrous Thai silk is hard to resist.

Cultured pearl production mimics the natural process to produce pearls of guaranteed quality. Cultured pearl farms are found principally in southern Thailand, particularly in Koh Samui, Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket and Surathani provinces.

Gold has been used primary in temples and palaces, as golden Buddha images, jewelry and royal insignia and decorations. Buddha images are decorated with gold leaf and gold is used to enhance modern jewelry.

Lacquerware is an ancient oriental craft, and entails a repeated process of coating structural bamboo or wood with lacquer before hand-painting it with elaborate designs. Generally, objects are produced in either gold and black, or yellow and green on a red-brown background. Silver beating is another traditional northern craft. Bowls, boxes, cigarette cases, vases and cutlery are skillfully worked with relief patterns. Nilonware is a related craft which has been practiced in southern Thailand for hundreds of years. Nilonware, or khrueang thom, is the craft of decorating objects with delicately etched designs which are filled with a metal alloy to produce a smooth patterned surface in black and gold. The art is widely practiced in Nakhon Si thammarat. Pewterware, essentially an alloy of lead and tin, which produces a metal with a smooth and silky feel, comes mainly in the form of beakers, goblets, tankards and decorative figurines.

Chaweng is a little more pricey than Nathon town but the choice here is vast. Up and down both sides of the beach road are hundreds of stalls selling watches, DVDs, CDs, clothes, shoes, sunglasses - you name it they sell it in Chaweng! The standard of the copies in Chaweng tends to be pretty good but be prepared to bargain quite hard with the vendors. There are also name brand stores selling international brands at a fraction of the western price. The best way to shop in Chaweng is just start walking and see what grabs you!

Lamai beach is a much smaller shopping zone than Chaweng so it doesn't have quite as much choice but theres still plenty to keep you occupied. The prices in Lamai tend to be quite a lot cheaper than Chaweng and there is less of the hard sell! Lamai also has some really funky shops selling individual and unusual items, great for the perfect present.

Bophut beach is a great place to buy beautiful furniture and the Fisherman's village has some nice souvenir shops. The best way to shop in Bophut is to park up and have a good stroll around especially in the small streets of the Fisherman's village.

Maenam is more of a residential area than a shopping hub but in amongst the cafes and restaurants there are some great shops, mainly selling teak and asian style furniture. The furniture stores are generally well established which is great if you need advice on shipping your purchase home. Many shops offer an international shipping service at reasonable prices.

Nathon town is Samui's administrative centre and where the locals head to do some serious shopping at low prices. The two main roads in Nathon are filled with shops and stalls selling silk goods, shoes and excellent copies. Although Chaweng has more choice, you can still find most things in Nathon. There are several excellent souvenir shops in Nathon as well for something quirky to take back home!