Damascus– Which is the best of Syrian or Turkish gold?
With the start of the great Syrian asylum to Turkey in 2011, an unexpected crisis was born, which is that most of the Turkish goldsmiths do not deal with the gold that some Syrians were carrying when they came and resorting to Turkey, although its price is about 5% cheaper compared to the Turkish.
The dispute arose because of the Turks’ view of the unusual goldsmiths and forms of gold, for the general Turks of Standard Gold (Standard) is of 22 carats and is light -colored, while the 21 -carat -carat -racket Syrian gold is slightly red, which made the Turks not preferred Dealing with it being unusual on the “intruder” caliber, as well as the color and shape of the strange artifacts on them.
Today, after the fall of the head of the ousted Syrian regime, Bashar al -Assad, and the start of the return of about 4 million Syrians from the northern neighbor, Turkey, it is expected that the quantities of Turkish gold will enter the Syrian markets, whether as a way to trade or as savings and personal property of a large number of Syrians who acquired it during their stay in Turkey over the course of 14 years old.
The question is whether the Syrian jewelery will deal similarly with Turkish gold by refusing to deal with it, especially as it is a different caliber and not circulating in the Syrian markets as well as different in form and color, or will he enter as a strong competitor in the market during the coming period?
This is what we went to the goldsmiths in the famous Harika market in central Damascus, which includes a large number of goldsmiths, as well as the headquarters of the Graphics Syndicate for Damascus and its countryside responsible for organizing the profession and dealing with gold coming from abroad.
No big problem
“It is possible that the crisis or problem can be limited, especially since the Syrians have opened years ago their own stores in Turkey to sell gold that deal with the so -called Syrian gold of 21 caliber, and it is possible that the least category is the one who dealt with the Turkish gold of 22 carat And I bought it. “
In his statement to Al -Jazeera Net, Al -Salloum expected that Turkish gold coming from Turkey does not cause a major crisis in the market, and a price of this gold may later be included on the facades such as 21 and 18 caliber who are mainly accredited in the Syrian markets, with the increasing dealing with it and thus the matter is resolved, according to his opinion. .
He also expected that the Turkish gold and artifacts will witness a demand from some customers, as they are a strange goods from the local market and have different models that may admire many, and this applies to those who buy it for decoration.
An unknown price
Opinions differed in the Harika market about the way to deal with Turkish gold, especially since most of the jewelery we met do not have an experience in dealing with it. I did not deal personally with such a situation, but I believe that it is a mutual consent between the seller and the buyer. “
And on the method of consent that he talks about, Al -Najjar adds, “It is possible that the jeweler can put a little higher than the price of 21 carat for 22 carat, but in general we, as a formula, usually put gold prices on our fronts for 21 and 18, being the most traded, while the 22 carat, most of us did not deal with it.”
As for the jeweler Elias Shalhoub, he believes that most of the Syrians will deal with Turkish gold as 21 carat and can break it at the price, as it is said.
But in general, and talking to Shalhoub, the jeweler can only buy foreign gold after referring to the union and the inclusion of the pieces with its measuring in order to become valid for sale because the gold coming from the outside is forbidden to put it on the facades for sale without its calibration and its measuring by the union, for reasons such as quality and source.
Flexible and open market
Responsible for the Stamp Office of the Graphics Syndicate in Damascus and its countryside, Fadi Sahnawi, said that the Syrian gold market is flexible and is completely open to all types of gold and its various calibers and the union is fully cooperating with the goldsmiths to facilitate purchases and sale.
He added to Al -Jazeera Net that in general the gold caliber 22 carats, “rarely dealt with it in Syria, but in the past we were as a formula that we made golden pounds from this caliber, in addition to the standard caliber 21 carats, which is the most requested according to the purchasing habits of the Syrians.”
Generally, as a formulation, “we take the golden pieces to be sold and purchased from abroad, whether from Turkey or others, and we work for them and we are sure of the gold caliber and we buy it at its price. The union here is its task to facilitate the work of the goldsmiths and not sell and buy in the markets.”
And on the way to sell the intruder gold to the market, Sahnawi explained that the jeweler who wants to buy a piece of gold from the outside must resort to the so -called “mortar” delegated by the union in order to examine the gold caliber coming from the outside and if the caliber is controlled, the formula will buy at the caliber after confirming it .
On the fate of this gold, especially that it is not circulating in the Syrian market or is consistent with the purchasing habits of the Syrians, the union official explains that after buying in front of the jeweler, several options are either to dissolve the purchased piece and re -manufacture it or pay as a value of gold workshops, or if it is valid for sale, then he will be done It is improved by the union and reselling it according to the caliber.
