Shopping for antiques has always been a complex task due to the difficulty in recognizing the original content. The basic area for recognizing any antique piece is the confirmation of the seller researches for that specific item. Fortunately, huge stores in Dubai have minimized the efforts of research and ensure to provide the reliable and rare antique items at its best stores. Antiques shopping in Dubai involves bargaining and can be searched on the internet as well as there are enormous distributors providing the authentic products at a good rate. The online stores and the retailers in its lavishing malls provide authenticity certificates to ensure for its originality.
There are different types of antique items available in Dubai shops as well as on online stores. An antique item is a rare historical item that should be around 100 years old and possess a good quality in its varnishing and polishing. Such collectible items come in a variety. Dubai owns antique carpets, jewellery, furniture and rare designing in collectible items. Visitors from all over the world are interested to buy it as a souvenir.
There are a magnificent collection of antique items in Dubai and enormous stores that offers authentic pieces. A list of these stores can be best accessed by the online search engines, yet there are some places mentioned that can help you find the dream piece.
• From the huge collection of delicate antiques range, visit Dubai Mall, that has the perfect collection of antiques with best varnishing and perfect polish. The huge mall holds the charm of antiques and presents the extraordinary historical items like khanjars and costumes. There are a number of authentic dealers providing these historical items under guarantee source.
• The best antique jewelry with maximum authenticity is available at Showcase Antiques that give the absolute marvelous collection of historical jewelry and fine traditional Arabian pottery. The three storey building at Jumeriah is known for its excellence and variety. The building is easily accessible from the main roads in Dubai and witness a large number of customers each year.
• The high profile antique souvenirs can be located in an Antique Museum in Dubai where you can find handcrafted items and traditional Arabic items. The handsome bargaining gives you the desired item in your best recommended price. The warehouse provides the authentic antique items with complete variety. Imported goods are sold to donate a good amount for charity.
• For the huge variety at auction and genuine items the perfect place is Dubai International Antique Fair. The festival is organized by the Dubai cultural council and gives an opportunity to all the international companies to display their items in the specific dates. It is known as the biggest Middle East fair for the showcasing of antique items.
• In considering the trend of visitors looking for antiques in Dubai, there are small stores in luxurious hotels that also showcase the best collection of antique jewelry and rare items. Either it is the famous Burj Khalifa or the ultra modern Armani hotels, antiques are kept to entertain the visitors and its variety attracts the clients for its high quality.
• For finding the oldest items in a traditional Arabic setting then visit Dubai Souks, where beautiful ornaments of antiques and displays the perfect traditional environment of old Dubai shops. The shops at the side of the settlements provide reasonable rates and high quality items.
Below is a guide for when you are shopping for particular antiques in Dubai. This guide will come in handy when you want to buy even small trinkets or the more simple antiques and you will need to know these basics in order to benefit best from your shopping experience in Dubai.
• Reference guides and other resources: Whether you enjoy collecting antiques as a hobby for the beauty or for investment, or perhaps even just because you like a particular item, you need to have some basic background information. Antique guides are easily available on nearly every topic and cane even be found on the internet, and using them will help identify marks for certain items. Porcelain marks as well as silver hallmarks will help tell the difference between the origins and makers of each item, according to region and many times the tribe of a people. The library is a great place to do your research and look at reference books. Any librarian can point you in the right direction.
• Identifying antiques: Always look for the hand-embellished interesting designs and the materials you would not commonly find via modern manufacturing. These are generally easy to spot simply by the patina or the look of the age of the item. When shopping for antique furniture, even in Dubai, be aware that sharp corners or edges is typical and will always show that furniture was very recently made. Usually, the back and various edges on a piece of the furniture will be slightly obscure, but smooth and soft. Circular machine saw marks are definitely a sign that furniture has been produced after 1840. Any wood veneer on antique furniture is thicker and so different than modern pieces of furniture with veneer. Always expect normal wear and tear on the tops of chairs or on table legs. Of course, handmade dovetails will be large as well as uneven on antiques.
• When searching to find antique silver, you will find that most American silver marked “sterling” post-1860. This is not the case in Dubai. Early pieces may have a maker’s name and initials. Silver which has been manufactured prior to the industrial age will show signs of hand-hammering. If a stamp shows EPNS, it will not be real silver, but a metal with silver coatings. In addition, the date on a piece may not be the date it was made. Finally, if there are any initials engraved, this can provide many clues to the date as well as the origin and the style of any lettering will give a hint to a time period.
• When shopping for antique pottery in Dubai, note that marks can be stamped or painted and can be incised near the bottom or on the back of the pottery. The mark provides information of the date as well as the country of the producer. Most pottery if made before the use of markings between the 19th and 20th centuries will be unmarked.
Bargaining is traditional and expected in Dubai. Most modern stores have solid prices; but family markets negotiate as part of the buying process. A good tip to use is check prices at the outlets then head towards the souks. Then you have a fair price for you to begin to haggle with.
If you want authentic local antiques by shopping in Dubai, you have many choices to meet your desires. You cannot go wrong with all of the Arabic coffee pots. Then there are also various silver and beautiful brass types of sword and daggers. Prayer beads and pearls are popular, frankincense, and other Arabian scents, many rugs and the Persian carpets are bountiful. The greatest thing about shopping in Dubai is to enjoy and envelop the experience. There are so many bargains but there are also many investments in your purchases you can find and you can also get rare or exotic items that will please you for many years.
Antique shopping in Dubai is one of the best experiences due to the huge variety and excellence of products. There are various stores as well as online shops are dealing in this regard. Some of the stores are even accessible in the renowned hotels in Dubai. The complete variety is enriched with historical weapons, rare designing in furniture, home use items as well as the unique jewelry. Dubai collection of antiques is available at bargaining prices and can serve as the gracious gifts of souvenirs. The antique jewelry of Dubai is even recognized as the signature of style among the modern women of the world.
