1. Who can buy Thai gold? Anyone who has the money Anyone, but only after registering as a trader Thai citizens only Anyone, but only through a licenced dealer

2. What is the usual purity of Thai gold? 23 ct 14ct 9ct 18ct

3. Thai gold has a different colour to 'western' 18ct gold. What colour best describes it? yellow silver pink coppery

4. What is one big attraction of Thai gold for citizens? it can be melted into ingots on a gas stove gold is worshipped as a sacred metal it will always go up in value it can be simply traded for cash at any gold store

5. How is the price for gold in Thailand set? by local market forces, similar to gasoline monthly rate set by a central committee daily calculation by using the global gold spot price by the government in Bangkok

6. Although there are exceptions, who controls most retail gold stores in Thailand? pawnbrokers multinational mining companies the Thai Govt Dept of Natural Resources Thai-Chinese

7. Why won't you see much Thai gold sold out of the country? hardly anyone other than Thais buy it jewellers in the west can't value it properly the WTO embargoes trade in Asian precious metals it is technically illegal to export gold from Thailand

8. A devout Thai will often be seen with what attached to their gold chain? entwined gold serpents an ivory elephant a Buddhist amulet an enamelled portrait of the King

9. What is the standard measure of weight used in the Thai gold market? the troy ounce the gram the carat the baht

10. Approximately how many retail gold shops are there in Thailand? 500 6000 1200 3500