the amulet market

I took these one morning at the local amulet market near where I work in Mahachai District, Samut Sakhon Province. Buddhist amulets are taken very seriously in Thailand where superstition is so pervasive; they are believed to have the power to bring financial prosperity or protect from bodily injury, even to stop fatal bullets. The amulets are encased in polished frames and feature images of the Buddha or one of many famous Thai monks. There are also a number of wooden fertility penises for sale alongside to the amulets, though they seem to be more of a novelty. They're carved in stone or cast in different types of metal, from cheap aluminum alloys to pure silver or gold. The tiny stone carvings are studied closely by local buyers with jewelers microscopes, looking closely in hopes of finding a rare, priceless antique that sellers may have overlooked (unlikely). The people working and perusing at the market are genial & I always get a lot of attention as they don't seem to see many foreigners around that area.