"It’s a precious stone gallery, not a museum," said Tam. He explains that he prefers the term gallery because the space is intended for people to admire the marvelous beauty of nature.

Tam cannot recall how many stones he has procured during the past 34 years or how many he currently has on display at the gallery. All of the stones were personally collected by Tam in Vietnam and abroad.

The stones on display are like works of art that captivate the eyes and interest of all visitors. Each stone has been skillfully carved into a gemstone. The collection includes rubies, sapphires, emeralds, citrines, topaz, aquamarine, turquoise, agate, zircon, opals, garnet and jade.

As visitors walk through the entrance of the two-story gallery, they are greeted by a pair of Onyx vases made from stones Tam bought in Pakistan. Further along in the showroom, pairs of Amethyst vesicles from Brazil and sculptures carved from imported stones are on display.

According to Tam, only 10% of his stones collection is imported, the rest were found in forests, mountains, rivers and bodies of water in Vietnam. "Our country has many gemstone pits, especially in the northern and central regions."
Tam's gemstone sculptures are named Miss World, Miss Earth, Miss Saigon and Miss Vietnam. The piece entitled Miss Vietnam features a pair of peacocks, while the others depict a herd of horses. These images can change depending on viewers' imagination and perspective.

Artisans from Thien Van Saigon, where Tam serves as the director, sculpt women in different moods and figures. "Artisans have to carve many stones before finding the right one to sculpt into a nice figure," said Tam. “It requires a person with a lot of energy, time and money to find these precious tones.

Tam revealed that it has taken him as along as 30 years to locate some of his stones."Finding stones is like looking for our better half, and when we have found them we should love them with all of our heart," Tam says. "There are some people who pass-up precious stones because they do not realize their true value."

Tam believes that now is the perfect time to unveil his precious stones collection to the public for admiration and study. "We welcome students to visit the gallery to study the stones on display."

Thien Van Saigon sells jewelry encrusted with precious stones to afford operating and maintenance costs for the gallery. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces and other items featuring precious stones are available for purchase at around US$20.

Source : http://www.vietnamopentour.com.vn/vietnam-information/news/new-precious-stone-gallery-opens-in-hcm-city.html