Yes, Turkey has some wonderful shops, especially in the grand bazaar.... shop after shop of jewelry stores We toured Greece, the Greek Islands, and Turkey for about three weeks and decided that jewelry would make the best souvenirs. To this day, my mother regrets not getting this beautiful gold bracelet at one of the shops at the bazaar in Istanbul... all because she and the shop owner couldn't come to terms over the last $20 - $40. Turkish goldsmiths are really giving Italy a run for their money in their craftsmanship and design of 14K - 18K gold pieces. Another great sight seeing spot in Turkey was seeing the ruins at Ephesus. Turkey is definitley a great country to visit as the people, culture/history, and food are quite exotic and fascinating.

Hey all! I'm from Turkey and living in Turkey. It is great to hear from you İstanbul is a great place. We, Turkish people,are very hospitable,loving and caring people and I think this love reflects to every city of Turkey and turn it into a real beauty. You will all welcome if you come to Turkey. If anyone plans to come here I would really like to help.

Thank you Susie! You'll be hearing from me. Thought a week would do in Istanbul but think maybe 10 days will be better. Can't wait! Want to eat a fish sandwich on the Bospherus!

Expy - saw the ruins at Ephesus. My cruise was designed for seeing ancient ruins. Didn't realize the Romans got around as much as they did. lol Great trip!

Looked at 18kt gold & was shell shocked. The choice, the quality was overwhelming! Had no idea what was a good price, need to do some pricing here. Didn't want to overpay & knew DH would want to go back.

Originally Posted by Vegas Long Legs

Expy - saw the ruins at Ephesus. My cruise was designed for seeing ancient ruins. Didn't realize the Romans got around as much as they did. lol Great trip! Looked at 18kt gold & was shell shocked. The choice, the quality was overwhelming! Had no idea what was a good price, need to do some pricing here. Didn't want to overpay & knew DH would want to go back.

It definitely sounds like you had a great and memorable trip, Vegas! My parents and I did an escorted trip of Greece and Turkey through Globus, which also included a cruise of the Greek Islands. It was so exciting to see all of the ancient sites and ruins that I'd studied about in school and I couldn't believe that I was actually walking on roads/streets and touching buildings and statues that were thousands of years old and such a part of history

With regards to jewelry pricing, I would ask the vendor what the gold weight was of the piece that I was interested in. I'd then divide the asking pricing by the weight in order to get the price per ounce/gram of gold. I'd researched the market rate for gold beforehand so that I could get a great or fair deal on any gold pieces that I was interested in overseas. Case in point, on my last trip to Italy (especially Florence), I found that the asking prices for 14K were too high due to the value of Euro vs USD, despite my haggling, as I could purchase comparable pieces back home in the US for about 30% - 40% less. I'd wanted a 14K gold rolo/charm bracelet with at least four charms of Italy (coliseum, gondola, etc..) but the shop owners wouldn't go any lower than $1K for the bracelet. I had a similar experience while shopping for a leather coat in Florence. Sadly, I didn't visit any leather stores during my visit to Istanbul but now I know to do so during my next visit

Expy, isn't the jewelry insane . I wanted to buy EVERYTHING. I always regret not picking up certain things, so my plan next time around is BUY EVERYTHING, hahahah! Can't go wrong with that now can you?

I bought the most beautiful silk scarves at the Bazaar, I mean the colors were so saturated and lush. Just beautiful. Almost walked away b/c the shop owner and I couldn't agree on price, then I realized I was actually haggling over a few cent!

I would love to go back and tour the ancient sites. esp Ephesus and Cappadocia.

Oh and a lil' off topic, I have always wanted to visit Petra and Dubai, ever been Vegas? whatcha think?

Originally Posted by Expy00

Yes, Turkey has some wonderful shops, especially in the grand bazaar.... shop after shop of jewelry stores We toured Greece, the Greek Islands, and Turkey for about three weeks and decided that jewelry would make the best souvenirs. To this day, my mother regrets not getting this beautiful gold bracelet at one of the shops at the bazaar in Istanbul... all because she and the shop owner couldn't come to terms over the last $20 - $40. Turkish goldsmiths are really giving Italy a run for their money in their craftsmanship and design of 14K - 18K gold pieces. Another great sight seeing spot in Turkey was seeing the ruins at Ephesus. Turkey is definitley a great country to visit as the people, culture/history, and food are quite exotic and fascinating.

Cappadocia is so interesting, definitely worth going to! I spent a week in Istanbul, and another traveling around-Ephesus, Cappadocia, Fethiye, and did NO shopping. I have to go back! I really thin Istanbul is the most beautiful city I have ever seen.

Jewelry, carpet, luxury, history.. everything is in Istanbul. Vegas, you will be welcome and please PM me what you want to learn. Have a great trip and enjoy your stay in Turkey! By the way I really like to visit the magical city Las Vegas one day

Originally Posted by Expy00

It definitely sounds like you had a great and memorable trip, Vegas! My parents and I did an escorted trip of Greece and Turkey through Globus, which also included a cruise of the Greek Islands. It was so exciting to see all of the ancient sites and ruins that I'd studied about in school and I couldn't believe that I was actually walking on roads/streets and touching buildings and statues that were thousands of years old and such a part of history With regards to jewelry pricing, I would ask the vendor what the gold weight was of the piece that I was interested in. I'd then divide the asking pricing by the weight in order to get the price per ounce/gram of gold. I'd researched the market rate for gold beforehand so that I could get a great or fair deal on any gold pieces that I was interested in overseas. Case in point, on my last trip to Italy (especially Florence), I found that the asking prices for 14K were too high due to the value of Euro vs USD, despite my haggling, as I could purchase comparable pieces back home in the US for about 30% - 40% less. I'd wanted a 14K gold rolo/charm bracelet with at least four charms of Italy (coliseum, gondola, etc..) but the shop owners wouldn't go any lower than $1K for the bracelet. I had a similar experience while shopping for a leather coat in Florence. Sadly, I didn't visit any leather stores during my visit to Istanbul but now I know to do so during my next visit

Expy - it was a great trip! Thank you for your experience. Italy is notoriously high on their gold prices. I've heard many times exactly what you are posting here. Writing this in my istanbul traveling guide so I have it to refer to.

Now I could kick myself, I looked at solid (at least that's what he said) 18kt gold bracelet about 1/3 in wide & he started at $1500.00. My tour guide told me to start at 50% lower, she introduced me to him. I wasn't really planning on buying gold, so I was shell shocked. This place said they owned the mine & did all the manufacturing.

I telling DH we are going there after our trip in August. lol

I'm thinking Istanbul might be my favorite city too.

lilsus - if you need any info on planning a trip to Vegas, please fell free to contact me too!

istanbul's great!! im half turkish, but i've never lived there, but i love it.
there's only one thing that kind of shames me about it, is how SOME not all of them, some men are too friendly, but it's just them being, them i guess. so if you do go, please do not let that put you off!! anyone who's going, enjoy!!

Originally Posted by goingindebt

Expy, isn't the jewelry insane . I wanted to buy EVERYTHING. I always regret not picking up certain things, so my plan next time around is BUY EVERYTHING, hahahah! Can't go wrong with that now can you? I bought the most beautiful silk scarves at the Bazaar, I mean the colors were so saturated and lush. Just beautiful. Almost walked away b/c the shop owner and I couldn't agree on price, then I realized I was actually haggling over a few cent! I would love to go back and tour the ancient sites. esp Ephesus and Cappadocia. Oh and a lil' off topic, I have always wanted to visit Petra and Dubai, ever been Vegas? whatcha think?

I like your shopping plan... definitely purchase everything that you can the next time around. Yes, the jewelry shopping in the grand bazaar is insane.... so much to choose from I ended up purchasing a gorgeous pair of pearl/14K drop earrings and a 14K white gold bangle at the bazaar. I would have purchased more jewelry pieces if given the chance but I'd already picked up some other gold pieces as my souvenirs from Athens and the Greek Islands. Your silk scarves sound gorgeous and what wonderful accessories to wear with your outfits. I'm glad to hear that you managed to procure them after all of the haggling. We ran out of time shopping in the bazaar and I think that my mother and I had really tried my father's patience that afternoon with our jewelry shopping - LOL.

Yes, the rest of Turkey is quite a site to behold as well. I distinctly remember how exciting it was to visit the "fairy chimneys", underground/cave cities, and rock churches in the Asia Minor, eastern and central regions of Turkey. My uncle visited the city of Petra a few years ago with his church group but he didn't find it that interesting Of course, he's not really into ancient history or sites though.

Originally Posted by Vegas Long Legs

Expy - it was a great trip! Thank you for your experience. Italy is notoriously high on their gold prices. I've heard many times exactly what you are posting here. Writing this in my istanbul traveling guide so I have it to refer to. Now I could kick myself, I looked at solid (at least that's what he said) 18kt gold bracelet about 1/3 in wide & he started at $1500.00. My tour guide told me to start at 50% lower, she introduced me to him. I wasn't really planning on buying gold, so I was shell shocked. This place said they owned the mine & did all the manufacturing. I telling DH we are going there after our trip in August. lol I'm thinking Istanbul might be my favorite city too. lilsus - if you need any info on planning a trip to Vegas, please fell free to contact me too!

You're most welcome, Vegas. I'm glad to share any shopping or traveling tips. I had also heard that gold prices in Italy were rather high but never imagined that I'd get better pricing here in the US for Italian gold pieces or leather items... lesson learned on my end. Another great country that you can get excellent pricing for 18K gold jewelry is Egypt. You just have to ask your tour guide or hotel staff to recommend a reputable jeweler.

It sounds like you were offered a fair deal for the 18K solid gold bracelet, especially since it sounds like the shop owner has no middle men to deal with. It's rare to find nice solid 18K gold pieces here in the US, especially in white gold. If you do find the pieces, they're a bit pricey, especially in the established jewelry or dept. stores. Hopefully, this information will help convince your DH that you need to visit Istanbul in order to get excellent pricing on your gold and leather pieces

Vegas - I loved Istanbul! One of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. The city skyline made my heart pitter-patter, and everywhere you look there is something interesting or beautiful. The Haga Sophia, the cisterns, the (alleged) sarcophagus of Alexander the Great, and delicious food. MyLuckyCharm - I agree - some of the most beautiful women in the world live there. DH and I did a guided tour of Turkey through Trafalgar many years ago, and it was a wonderful experience.

Istambul is stunning -- I was there a few years ago, but had more of a mixed experience than most people. I traveled with a female friend and then by myself and definitely felt a bit harassed by street vendors when I was by myself. Also while a few posters mentioned the beauty of the women -- I barely saw ANY women. This freaked me out a little too. I saw many places in Turkey where men hung out and smoked and had tea and played chess, but there were never any women around. Almost all the resturants had waiters (no waitresses) and almost all the stores had male clerks.

Still I met some lovely people. I took a crazy 16 hour overnight train from the south of Turkey back to Istambul and sat with a lovely man and his two sons, who were so nice to me and shared their food with me.

My favorite thing in Istambul was taking a Turkish bath. ...and overall my favorite places in Turkey were Ephesus and Pergamum because I like archeology. I would love to go back, but maybe this time with a guy in tow!

Originally Posted by sonya

Istanbul is my favorite city!

Me too!!!
I love it and I want to go back!!!

Originally Posted by jayjay77

Also while a few posters mentioned the beauty of the women -- I barely saw ANY women. This freaked me out a little too.

You will not see many women SAs, or waitresses, most women still choose to be housewives. However there are many many women are high ranked career women and some even own their own their own businesses.
Turkish women are extremely beautiful. I love Ebru Gündes, and I have her CDs, I only wish next time I visit Turkey I see her live!!! (major girl crash)
http://www.ebrugundesweb.com/