Downtown in the heart of Buraidah there is a bazaar type setup. It’s a bustling area with many different shops, both indoors and outdoors. Some of my co-workers and I heard that there was a gold souk, so we set out to find it, after making a quick stop at the bakery to sample some pastries.

Having already been a client to the bakery owner, he remembered me. I told him that my in-laws had enjoyed the candy tray I had purchased from him the week before, that I brought my coworkers in to sample his food. He was so happy that he gave me two free slices of cake and a bottle of water.

I wandered around some more with my coworkers, and we weren’t exactly sure where we were going. We wandered around for a bit trying to take in all the new sights and sounds before one of my male colleagues stopped to ask for directions to the gold market.The shopkeeper was a very friendly man, and was excited and welcoming upon hearing that we were from USA.

When we finally stumbled upon the gold market, our excitement couldn’t be contained. There were so many stores, each one more glittery and shimmery than the one before. My co-workers wife, M, a lovely lady from the Philippines, was the most excited. “I think I like gold so much because my mother really loved it,” M confided, “she said it’s kind of like an investment piece. If you need money, you can always sell the gold.” M was in the market for a new wedding ring, as her ring no longer fit since the birth of her daughter 10 months ago.

We continued to walk around and check out all the gold shops, each one offering a unique variety. The gold here doesn’t come with a price tag attached, instead each piece is weighed and calculated. There is room to haggle the price down.

One big difference I noticed was that the lowest karat gold here is 18. In usually it seems more and more common that jewelers in USA are using 10K, if they even use gold at all. I worked in fine jewelry before I came here and there definitely is an increase in jewelry being made from gold plated brass.

I looked at a few pieces, but ended up leaving empty handed. All of us did, actually. I had really wanted to buy a nice gift for my  mother, but I suppose I should do that closer to when I go back home.