The Story of Us

Our company specializes in two types of products. The first is the invisible setting, and the second is the micro pave setting. My early education at my father’s gem table was invaluable for learning the technique that he called the invisible setting.

When I was a young child, I used to run around the gem table to attempt to discover its secrets. He would say things to me like, “come, come and see what I have today!”

He would cheerfully ask me to look at a colourful stone in his hand. The day I remember most clearly was when he held up the most beautiful parcel of pigeon blood-colour rubies. I asked him how he knew it was the most beautiful gems. His reply burned into my memory, “Deep red, vivid sparkles with fire.”

I asked him what he was going to make with such stones. He replied confidently, “the best invisible-setting brooch.” I asked him why he had to do an invisible setting. He replied to this in his mysterious way, “it’s a secret because it’s a secret.”

Instead, he chased me around the room until I got tired and appeared to go to sleep. In reality, I hid from his sight so that I could watch him work into the late hours of the night.

As I crouched in my corner, I could see my father’s concentration intensify as he worked on the parcel of tiny stones. His efforts were industrious. He sourced the stones one by one. He would select and graduate what seemed to be thousands of tiny stones on paper. He did this again and again until he separated the ones that were deemed to be good enough. These stones were destined to become of his best brooch.

His work was more than just a labour of love; he possessed a genuine commitment to creating a masterpiece that required his best efforts. Tiny stones would be placed like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. He cut each stone without a prong so that it would reveal the full beauty of the gems.

He would say to me, “do you know that if the brooch is made of 1,000 stones that you’d have to re-cut all the stones thousand times to finish the piece?” He impressed me with what it took to create a genuine masterpiece, and I never forgot this lesson.

Charisma Gems

The story of Charisma Gems is also the story of my father, Vichai Jiraratwattana. He was impressed by the most brilliant gems after he entered the jewellery business as an employee at the young age of 18. After internalizing the values of loyalty, sincerity and service to clients, he began to dream of a different future. He wanted to communicate the mysterious connection he felt with these stunningly beautiful gems to others. To his keen eyes, certain gems shimmered with a subtle personality that could only be described as charismatic. That observation turned out to be the answer to the question gnawing at his soul: Charisma Gems was born.

A Legacy is Born

He soon married Anong Jiraratwattana, my mother. Over time, she would become an integral part of the decision-making team that developed his company’s strategy for expansion. I was always impressed with the way she was able to apply the strength of her personality to support my father during even the most challenging times. Her insights continue to provide guidance to this very day.

My own story started when I was a child running around my father’s gem table. I was entranced by the gemstones’ dazzling displays of light, which seemed to cast out a thousand different shades of red, blue, green, pink, yellow and so many other colours. The gems charmed me and lit up my imagination. I asked my father, “Papa, what is this? Do we sell them? Is it our business?” My father’s face would take on an indescribable expression as he answered me. “No. This is a passion of love. When you grow up, you may understand.” These were the words I carried in my heart after I graduated master degree and entered the gemologist and jewellery designer program at GIA. Now I am a designer who has an inspiration form my love in gems stones. My dream of having my own collection was gradually becoming a reality, but I thought that operating exclusively in Thailand was far too limiting. Charisma Gems seemed to me to be destined for an international marketplace.

We offer exceptional craftsmanship and a superior invisible setting that can only be accomplished by the most skilful artisans. The graduate pave setting is a unique offering, which is only possible because of the dedication of my father in pursuing his original vision.

Our entire family has devoted over 43 years to developing these techniques while maintaining the original passion that sparked it. Unique jewellery designs are crafted with the finest care and superb skill. This creates the context in which the finest gems display their most astonishing qualities.

Making the tiny gems sit together is a real magician’s trick. Only the most skilled worker are able to accomplish this quality of work. I’ve always felt that my father’s techniques deserved to be presented to an international audience. Today our customers come from countries as diverse as France, Italy, Greece, Austria, Spain, Turkey, Russia, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Dubai, Kuwait, India, Malaysia, United States and all over the world.