This is a sad story. Only a week after I posted my article about an up and coming jewelry brand here in Thailand, their works have been copied and sold on a website!
That’s right, what one person spent months creating are now being sold at wholesale prices by someone else—in this case a european silver manufacturer. This is very discouraging for young jewelry designers/makers who are working so hard to make a name for themselves. Thailand is full of big companies and it is hard enough for us to come up with unique enough works to compete with their more econimically priced jewelry since they are made in bulk, not by hand like our works.
The online company that is selling the copied works is originally from a European country but has an office in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a shame that many people look down on Thailand as a country that has no creativity of its own since there are so many copied products here. But look at who is taking advantage of the situation, a company from a developed country.
Even though it’s not my works that are being copied, I am so frustrated about this whole thing. A few of us Thais are trying so hard to upgrade our jewelry products with original designs but it took only one small incident like this to take us a few steps back. But we will not stop here. Actions will be taken in this case by the owners of the brand with consultations from certain governmental offices.
This might mean nothing to you…I just needed to vent. Sigh….
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Helen Hill 08.01.09 at 2:45 p08
Wow! They’re not even just similar - the piercing’s identical! That’s a very low-down trick. Some people have no scruples at all.
M'lou 08.26.09 at 2:45 p08
That is really too bad. Such nice designs, too.