Chiang Mai is, quite simply, Thailand’s major centre for quality handicrafts. The visitor need merely visit the nearest city emporium or night market to purchase an extraordinary variety of antiques, silver jewellery, hilltribe opium pipes and embroidery, Thai silks and cottons, basketry, celadon, silverware, furniture, lacquerware, woodcarvings and parasols.

A major advantage of shopping in Chiang Mai is that the visitor may watch artisans working within the city and in several outlying villages, particularly along the Bo Sang-San Kamphaeng Road where, in genuine cottage industries, parasols, silk and cotton weaving, jewellery, woodcarving, silverware, celadon, and lacquerware are manufactured, and number among popular purchases.

Major Chiang Mai products include:

Cottons & Silks - First-class Chiang Mai cottons and silks are of incomparable quality. Cottons and silks have innumerable fashion and furnishing applications. The largest possible selection is available in San Kamphaeng.

Umbrellas/ Parasols - These are inextricably associated with Bo Sang where villagers have been engaged in their manufacture for at least 200 years. All materials, silks, cottons, Sa paper (manufactured from the bark of the mulberry tree) and bamboo are produced or found locally. Visitors to Bo Sang will see literally hundreds of designs and sizes ranging from the miniature to the gigantic.

Silverware - The finest Thai silverware is exquisite, and is made in Chiang Mai, where certain families have practised their art for several generations. Traditional skills and a guaranteed content of at least 92.5% pure silver invest bowls, receptacles and decorative items with authentic value. Silver shops are concentrated on Wua Lai Road, where silverware artisans and their families live.

Lacquerware - Striking black and gold designs give lacquerware its visual appeal and sheen. This decorative are enhances items made of wood, bamboo, metal, paper and baked clay, in the form of receptacles, ornaments and various souvenirs.

Furniture/ Woodcarving - Chiang Mai’s Ban Thawai village in Hang Dong district, is a major centre of furniture making. Major woods and materials include teak, rosewood and rattan. Items may be unadorned or, especially with teak and rosewood, artfully carved in traditional or modern designs. Woodcarving is a traditional northern Thai art featured in numerous temples. In recent years, wood carving has increasingly embellished furniture, gracing screens, chairs, tables, beds, indeed anything bearing a wooden surface large enough to be carved. Carved elephants, figurines and tableware number among other popular purchases.

Hilltribe Products - These include silver ornaments, such as bracelets, necklace, pendants and pipes of intricate design, and embroidered items including tunics, jackets, bags, purses, caps and dress lengths.

Gold Plated Orchids & Butterflies - Orchids and butterflies are preserved and plated with 24-carat gold to create unusual gift items such as necklace pendants, hairpins and earrings.

Pottery - Chiang Mai is the major centre of Thailand’s pottery industry. Prized items include high-fired celadon which is produced in many forms, including dinner sets, lamp bases and decorative items.

HANDICRAFT VILLAGES

The Industry Promotion Centre in the North has carried on promotion for the village where villager themselves have inherited their cottage industry for decades. The following names are village (Mu Ban) that carry their fame for particular products:

Mu Ban Si Pan Khrua is famous for bamboo works and lacquerware. The village is located in Tambon Tha Sala, Amphoe Mueang.

Mu Ban Wua Lai is famous for silverware and lacquerware. It is located in Tambon Hai Ya, Amphoe Mueang.

Mu Ban Mueang Kung is located in Tambon Nong Khwai, Amphoe Hang Dong. It is famous for earthenware.

Mu Ban Roi Chan, located in Tambon Nong Khwai, Amphoe Hang Dong. It is famous for basketry..

Mu Ban Thawai is famous for antique imitation. The village is located in Tambon Khun Khong, Amphoe Hang Dong.

Mu Ban Kuan Thahan Kaeo is famous for earthenware. It is located in Tambon Thahan Kaeo, Amphoe Hang Dong.

Mu Ban Nong Ap Chang is in Tambon Sop Tia, Amphoe Chom Thong. It is famous for handmade natural dye cotton.

Mu Ban Don Kaeo is famous for bucket weaving. The village is located in Tambon Don Kaeo, Amphoe Saraphi.

Mu Ban Pa Bong is in Tambon Pha Bong, Amphoe Saraphi. It is famous for woven products.

Mu Ban Ton Pao is famous for Sa paper products. It is located in Tambon Ton Pao, Amphoe San Kamphaeng.

Mu Ban Bo Sang is famous for umbrellas, fans and woodcarving.

Mu Ban Ton Phung is in Tambon Ton Pao, Amphoe San Kamphaeng. The village is famous for umbrella making and woodcarving.