Seeking Out Treasures Worth Carrying Home

The world is full of treasures that travelers can and should buy and carry home. Although many of these valuables are sold in the United States, they are almost always available in better selection and price in their countries of origin.

But always do your homework before you leave home. Find out prices here and comparison-shop before buying. And when buying antiques, gemstones, gold or other high-ticket items in foreign countries, demand certificates of authenticity.

Always inspect clothing, especially discounted designer items, for damages. And make sure that cameras and electronic goods have international warranties and are compatible with U.S. broadcast and electrical systems.

Here are some best bets for international shopping in 1990:

Canada--Canada’s goods are similar in style and quality to those in the United States. And since U.S. dollars are slightly stronger than Canadian, shoppers can have a spectacular buying spree in Canada, purchasing goods such as the terrific fashions of Alfred Sung, Club Monaco, Marilyn Brooks, Simon Chang, Suttles & Seawinds, Au Coton and Le Chateau at discounted prices.

But for a special Canadian purchase buy Inuit (Eskimo) art. Toronto’s Inuit Gallery of Eskimo Art and Montreal’s Canadian Guild of Crafts have superb selections of Inuit prints depicting scenes of hunting, fishing and rituals, as well as gray soapstone and bone sculptures of Eskimo men and women engaged in daily-life activities. Prices for this collectible art begin at $100 but they are much less expensive than those sold in the United States.

Mexico--Silver jewelry and acessories are among Mexico’s best buys. Much of it is made and sold in Taxco, where there are dozens of shops, but the best designs and quality are at Tane, which has boutiques in Mexico City’s Zona Rosa and on Avenida Mazaryk, two posh shopping districts.

Tane’s stock includes intricate and heavy gleaming silver chain bracelets, delicate baskets woven of matte silver strands and magnificent trays and tea or coffee serving sets that range from traditional to modern in design. The silver isn’t cheap, but Tane’s silver costs 20% to 30% less than comparable goods in the United States.

South America--Brazil is the place for gemstones: diamonds, emeralds, aquamarines, tourmalines, imperial topaz, amethysts and citirine at 30% below U.S. prices. You can have them placed in settings within 24 hours.

International jeweler H. Stern is headquartered in Ipanema and has about 70 boutiques in Brazil. Also in Ipanema, Amsterdam Sauer rivals H. Stern for spectacular stones that are brilliantly set.

Buenos Aires offers quality leather clothing, accessories and luggage. Bogota, Colombia, is a good place to buy shoes, boots, leather luggage and carryalls.

Caribbean--Duty-free shopping for famous brand liquor, perfume, sweaters, woolens, china, crystal, linens and other luxury goods (usually 20% to 50% below mainland retail) is most extensive on British-bred Bermuda.

However, the best values are found on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Americans abroad at least 48 hours are allowed to take home up to $800 worth of goods before paying taxes.

Europe--Don’t neglect London’s exceptional stationery supplies from the traditional at Smythson (on New Bond Street) to the avant-garde at Brats (on King’s Road). Smythson developed the famous blue paper known as Bond Street Blue that is used as distinguished writing paper. Smythson also sells desk-top diaries and pocket diaries.

In Paris, Marche aux Puces (at Clignancourt) is amusing for antiques lovers, but better merchandise is sold at the Louvres des Antiquaires, where hundreds of small shops are stuffed with certified collectibles ranging from porcelain dolls to marquetry desks.

Equally spectacular antique shops line Rue des Saints-Peres and nearby streets. Janine Kaganski (Rue des Francs-Bourgeois) and Meubles Peints (Rue de Sevigne) have wonderful vintage furniture that’s painted with folk and floral designs.

Paris, one of the world’s culinary capitals, is a good source for cookware and dining accessories at Dehillerin (Rue Coquilliere). There you will find an astonishing array of gleaming copper pots and pans.

At Au Bain Marie (Rue Boissey d’Anglais) you’ll find exceptional table settings ranging from colorful throw-away plastics in ultra-chic shapes to delicately hand-painted earthenware treasures that might one day be family heirlooms.

Stop by Fauchon and other gourmet groceries around Place de la Madeleine to buy packed-for-travel food including tinned soups, pates, casseroles and condiments that still cannot be found at U.S. supermarkets.

In Milan, shop for discount designer clothing. Mila Schon Negozio (Piazza Umanitaria) has Schon; Laura Bagiotti (Via Borgospesso) keeps sale items in the back room; Il Salvagente (Via Fratelli Bronzetti) has discounted Krizia, Ferre, Versace and Trussardi (some may be used or damaged) and Vesti Stock Uno (Viali Romagna) and Due (Via Ramazzini) discount men’s, women’s and children’s styles by Versace, Kansai, Montana and Moschino.

Gucci Liquidazioni (Via Corridoni) discounts Gucci double G leather goods, silk scarfs, leather skirts and cashmere sweaters, and offers 18% tax rebate on purchases exceeding 800,000 lire.

Shop Scandinavia for top-notch home and personal accessories, including furniture, furs, silver, porcelain and glass. Prices are high but foreign shoppers benefit from up to 22% rebates on goods bought for export.

Copenhagen’s Atrium offers contemporary home furnishings including hand-hewn desks, chests and chairs that make most Danish modern sold in the United States look look smooth-sided Lego constructions.

Paustian, the home decorating showroom in the suburb of Nordhavn, shows exceptional modern furniture that’s designed to fit form to function. Slender cabinets fold out to make desks. Small side-tables extend to seat many eaters on chairs that stack neatly into a graceful sculptural mountain. In addition, you’ll find textiles and rugs in muted colors and geometric patterns.

For Swedish crystal, New Scandinavian Design on Tegelbacken in Stockholm shows a vast assortment of glistening goblets, leaf-patterned plates, pot-bellied pitchers and one-of-a-kind decorative pieces by top manufacturers. Discontinued items are discounted.

Svensktglas offers distinctive designs made by small glassworks and not sold in most shops. But best buys are the discounted seconds that have almost imperceptible flaws and are sold at Orrefors, Kosta-Boda and other factory outlets in Smaland, Sweden’s kingdom of glass.

In Eastern Europe, buy Marjana Maric’s wonderful leather clothing and accessories, sold in state-run stores throughout Yugoslavia. They are beautifully designed, well made of high-grade leather and amazingly affordable.

Styles include belted trench coats and loose-fitting coats with big wrap-around collars sold in black, brown, blue or green for $500 or more. Also sold are pantsuits with short, fitted or baggy hip-length jackets for about $350. Straight or A-line skirts are tagged at about $180.

Poland’s best buys include leather goods, which may seem somewhat odd considering Poland’s infamous shortage of meat. Look for attractive untanned leather hunting-style handbags, briefcases with soft or hard sides and spacious soft-sided suitcases in a variety of styles sold for as low as $100. Poland also offers wonderful handwoven wool bed coverings, usually only big enough for single beds.

Hand embroidery in Hungary and Romania is worth going for. Lovely vests, blouses and shirts are covered with intricate, colorful flowers.

Fur coats and hats and caviar are still best buys in the Soviet Union.

Asia--The Pacific Rim is a shoppers’ paradise. Hong Kong and Bangkok have excellent buys in jewelry, with Hong Kong taking the lead in design and workmanship and Bangkok excelling in reasonably-priced gemstones.

Both cities have some dishonest dealers, so know your stones before buying. In Hong Kong, better jewelers backed by the Hong Kong tourist association display a red junk (boat) decal in their windows.

Street hawkers and small boutiques in Singapore and Bangkok illegally sell an abundance of designer-label watch copies, handbags and luggage. These cheaply made items are hardly worth their cheap prices.

You’re better off shopping Hong Kong for remaindered or second-quality designer clothing and accessories sold at bargain prices in Kaiser Estates, the manufacturing district where Camberley sells Anne Klein fashions for a third of what they go for in the United States.

Other best buys in Hong Kong include made-to-order clothing and shoes, electronic entertainment equipment and gadgetry, computer clones and Chinese-made goods.

The Handcrafts Centre in Singapore sells beautiful batik fabrics and tie-dyed clothing.

Bangkok is a terrific source for silk. Electric-colored Thai silk, whether smooth or nubby, has a special shine that sets it apart from all other luxury fabrics.

Although the city has dozens of reputable silk shops, the best source is Thai Silk Co. (also known as Jim Thompson’s silk house), which sells lightweight single-ply fabric used for clothing, four-ply fabric for draperies and six-ply silk for upholstery or wall coverings.

Prices for 40-inch-wide fabric range from $14 to $25 per yard, or about 25% less than U.S. prices. Thai silk also is sold in Bangkok as ties, pillow covers, place mats and napkins, picture frames, handbags and attractive quilted jackets.

Prices in this article reflect currency exchange rates at the time of writing.