Jaipur is one of the top places to buy gemstones and jewellery. Since the city was founded in 1727 AD, Jaipur has steadily climbed to the top in the gemstone industry. The founder of Jaipur, Sawai Jai Singh II, created a market or special business area for gemstone & jewellery in Jaipur called Johri Bazaar. The word Johri implies jeweller and bazaar means market. Currently, the by lane of Johari Bazaar has thousands of offices where people are engaged in manufacturing and trading of gemstones as well as jewellery.
Jaipur: A Global Hub for Gemstones and Jewellery
Jaipur has become a big hub for gemstone buying; traders and jewellers from Jaipur supply coloured gemstones across the world. Naturally, this has attracted many people to visit Jaipur to buy coloured gemstones and jewellery, especially the astrological gemstones also called “Rashi Ratan” in India. Some of the most popular astrology gemstones include ruby, emerald, sapphire, coral, amethyst, to name a few. Travelers have often approached me for recommendations on reliable or authentic shops and traders to buy gemstones and jewellery. While I’m not engaged in either gemstones or jewellery business, I have seen this industry very closely, as an insider. I’m sharing with you some of the tips and recommendations on a general basis. This is a good primer for buying gemstones and jewellery from Jaipur.
Gemstones and Jewellery Buying Guide in Jaipur
In this guide to sourcing gemstones & jewellery in Jaipur, I’m not going to recommend traders and shops. The information on how to buy gemstones is primarily for you to understand how the markets function and how you can avoid being scammed.
What kind of gemstones is Jaipur famous for?
For decades, Jaipur was a very big manufacturing hub for coloured gemstones. This meant a variety of semi-precious and precious gemstones. Diamonds were never part of this; Mumbai and Surat were the big manufacturing and trading centres for diamonds in India. However, Jaipur is a big sourcing centre for Polki and flat diamonds because they are used in traditional hand made jewellery.
Jaipur was never a producer of gemstones; there were no mines in Jaipur. Traders in the Pink City source rough gem stones mined across the world and process them here. Over the last two decades, a large number of semi-precious gemstones manufacturing or processing has shifted to China for many reasons. Even today, Jaipur continues to be an important trading centre for these semi-precious coloured gemstones. Some high-value semi-precious gemstones are still processed in Jaipur by hand.
While Bangkok is a major hub for rubies, both trading and manufacturing, Jaipur is an important trading port in India for rubies. The same is true for sapphires.
Jaipur is a global center for emerald trading and manufacturing. World’s top emerald traders are based in Jaipur and the city holds a large share in the emerald industry. Emeralds are mined in Africa, South America, and some parts of Asia.
What kind of jewellery is Jaipur famous for?
Jaipur ranks high on heritage handmade jewellery as well as colour stone jewellery. Over the years, Jaipur jewellers have expanded to mass-produce modern and fusion jewellery in gold, silver, and metal, often with coloured stones and synthetic diamonds.
Jaipur is globally known for its handmade heritage jewellery, especially:
- Kundan Meena Jewellery
- Polki Diamond Jewellery
- Jadau Jewellery
- Enamelled Meenakari designs
Jaipur is also a major exporter of sterling silver jewelry, especially to Europe and the U.S. Chances are high that jewellery bought online or in luxury stores abroad may have been manufactured in Jaipur. Many companies in Jaipur manufacture and export silver jewellery on a large scale. In this regard, Jaipur has moved beyond the previous benchmarks. Jewellers in Jaipur manufacture gold, silver, and metal jewellery with diamonds and coloured stones on a large scale.
In the age of fusion jewellery where the customer demands something new, Jaipur offers a huge assortment. Jaipur jewellers are enterprising and are at the forefront when it comes to design innovation in jewellery.
Gemstone Scams in Jaipur: What you should know
Are there gemstone scams in Jaipur? Unfortunately, yes. Fake factory outlets, manipulated certification, and inflated prices are some common scams. As with many other tourist destinations, scams are common in Jaipur. The moment one lets their guard down, the chances of being scammed are quite high. Always remain cautious — even well-travelled, high-net-worth individuals have been conned.
If you want to check if scams are taking place in Jaipur, check out the TripAdvisor forums. Here is one – Jewellery scam in Jaipur.
Forget ordinary tourists and travellers, even well-travelled and high net worth individuals have been conned or scammed. One such instance happened some years ago and the scam was to the tune of Rs. 230 million. This instance would be hard to find on the internet but it is an important lesson for all of us. I’m sharing links to newspapers so you can read more about the incident.
- Times of India: Arrested jeweller might have got a wider network
- Telegraph India: Crore bail for ‘fake’ jeweller
- Business Standard: Jaipur jeweller held for duping HCL chief’s wife gets bail
Recently, another scam was reported by a US-based jeweller involving a Jaipur based jeweller. Read: Jaipur scam: US woman tricked into buying Rs. 300 fake jewelry for 6 crores
Jewellery scam in Jaipur
One should be extra careful when buying jewellery in Jaipur. While the BIS standard mandates hallmarking to ensure fairness and reduce gold purity scams, certain types of jewellery are exempt; this includes heritage Indian jewellery i.e. Kundan Meena Polki and Jadau jewellery.
Many jewelers provide certificates to prove the gem quality used in jewellery. Please note that only a few testing labs are reputed and worth accepting their reports. Many scams have been reported where the certificate was either “influenced”or the labs did not exist. I cannot share the list of reliable certification agencies in this blog.
There have also been reports where items made in silver were passed off as gold. This happened recently with a US-based B2B jewellery buyer over the course of multiple transactions.
With the very high quality synthetic gemstones and lab grown diamonds, it has become very difficult even for jewellers to differentiate from the real stones. Therefore, one should tread carefully when buying jewellery. So how does one tread while buying gemstones in Jaipur?
Is every gemstone trader or jeweller a scammer?
No. Not every jeweller or trader is a scammer. In fact, most gemstone traders in Jaipur enjoy a good reputation across the gemstone industry. However, it will be difficult to find such traders. The reason is due to the nature of gemstone businesses, they operate from small offices and serve B2B customers. Accessing these traders as travellers is not easy and they don’t cater to end customers by design. So what should one do? Hunt around and read the next section on tips for buying gems and jewellery in Jaipur.
Tips for buying gemstones and jewellery in Jaipur
Here are some tips for when buying coloured gemstones and jewellery in Jaipur.
- There are many shops in Gopal Ji Ka Rasta selling astro stones or Rashi Ratan and other gemstones. These shops target walk-ins and end users. However, they might not offer the best rates or quality. You are unlikely to find the prices mentioned; a norm followed by other industries like garments. The price quoted varies depending on the season, availability, and customers.
- Jaipur is a big gemstone hub. Don’t fall for any stories of offering it cheap from a direct factory or wholesaler etc. These are all, at best, “stories” to scamming people. One might hear it from taxi drivers, tour guides, people working in hotels, tuk-tuk drivers, just to name a few. If you are taken for a gemstone factory tour, especially in and around tourist attractions, please don’t fall for the narratives and waste your hard earned money. It might be wiser to spend more money in your own city and ensure you get your worth of money. Scammers would use every technique to create “urgency” or pressure you to buy.
- Shops in and around tourist attractions in Jaipur cater only to tourists. Avoid.
- A good resource for buying jewellery or gemstones would be a local. Reach out to your friends, relatives, or business contacts.
- If you are making payments against gemstone and jewellery purchases, a credit card is better than paying cash. This works as proof of purchase in case you want to lodge a complaint. Also, many of the banks in the USA and Europe protect buyers in case of fraud.
- Make a video recording of your purchase with the people involved in the sale along with the outlet. This will help you to prove the transaction.
In short, here are the takeaways from this gemstone buying guide blog:
- There are only a few scammers but sometimes it is hard to separate between genuine jewellers and scammers.
- The advantage of buying gemstones from Jaipur is the huge variety to choose from and competitive prices but you need someone trustworthy to help you reach out to a couple of gemstone traders or jewellers. It might be worth exploring if you have a large number of gemstones or jewellery to buy; a case in point, if you are buying for business i.e. B2B
I’m hopeful that this guide on gemstones, Rashi Ratan, and jewellery buying in Jaipur will help you make an informed decision.
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Great resource Arv. I don’t buy gems in a foreign country for most of the reasons you list, but I know a lot of people who have and many who have been scammed. They need to read this first 🙂 Maggie
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Maggie, you are a seasoned and smart traveller! It is a wise decision to keep away from the unknown. But there are many people who trust anyone and everyone. Many are kind hearted souls, they feel everyone is like them. Unfortunately, they are taken advantage of. Almost every popular tourist city in the world has some sort of tourist scam. Did you watch the documentary, Scam City?
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I haven’t seen the documentary, but I’ll look for it.
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It is interesting. They show the whole process of how the travellers are scammed.
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We watched the Mexico City episode last nigh, since we were recently there. And while most of what he says is true, it is quite over blown and outdated. He has taken the last 20 or more years of violence and makes it sound as if it is occurring today. I guess they are trying to make a point, but they should compare to recent improvements. Still it was interesting, and we’ll try another episode. Maggie
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I get your point, Maggie. I think all such series do blow it up for hype. I think it is just important how these people operate. I think the entire episode could be wound up in 20 minutes or so. They have added some drama! I can’t recall which city, they showed how taxi drivers switch the bills given by traveler with fake ones and claim that traveler gave them fake notes.
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Although you state this blog post as a general guide, it is a good start for anyone considering purchasing jewelry and gemstones in Jaipur. Thank you for posting. Since Jaipur is a big hub for jewelry and gemstones, I’d love to see more posts covering this topic in detail even further.
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Thanks, Priya. Yes, this blog is general by nature so it can be a good starting point for anyone seeking to purchase gemstones and jewellery. Thanks for the suggestion, will surely post more. I appreciate you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
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This is an interesting article on the gem stone business in Jaipur. Buyers beware!
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Thanks. Buyer beware is a universal thumb rule. If we exercise caution and notice small details, we will save ourselves a lot of trouble. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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As a fan of gemstones myself, I was excited to visit your blog again and see this article on gemstones 😀 It is wonderful that Jaipur is one of the big hubs of gemstone trading and manufacturing, and gemstone jewelry as well. I’ve bought gemstones online in the past, and quite a few of the sellers I bought from source gemstones from India.
There was a point where I was really interested in the process of making gemstones, from mining the rock or stone to cutting to polishing. Turquoise and tanzanite are some of my favourite gemstones, and I have them in rough and polished forms in my collection. Turquoise, though, is really easily faked (i.e. dyeing stones blue) but I think it’s easier to pick out fake turquoise than other gemstones.
Scams are an unfortunate part of this industry. And being a gemstone hub, sometimes the market can be saturated with options and supplies. From your tips, I think building relations with authentic sellers goes a long way to getting quality stones. They should have a good knowledge of production and sourcing of stones, such as heat treating stones. I’ve heard some people aren’t a fan of heat treated gemstones as it might take away the natural component – which is fair enough. At times heat treatment is not only accentuates colour of the stones, but also enhances its durability. I guess communicating with the gemstone seller with what you want is important.
I also am a fan of rock and crystals, similar to gemstones but another topic for another day. Hope you have been doing well, Arv 😊
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Hi Mabel, good to hear that you know Jaipur has gemstone connection. I’m curious to know which gemstones you bought.
These days it is not difficult to create alternatives and enhance natural stones. generally, the economics work better for expensive stones.
Heat treatment at some point was debated but I guess the industry is now faced with other bigger questions so people have moved on and it is well-accepted. The logic? it is at least natural stone.
The world was debating about the lab grown diamonds but now people are accepting it because it is way cheaper than naturally mined diamonds. Somehow, the supply was always controlled to inflate prices and now customers have a choice.
There is no right or wrong on all these issues. Every side has their own logics. Do you believe in astro stones?
Hope things are good at your end, Mabel.
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Yes, heat treated and enhanced natural stones work in favour for more expensive markets. Some consumers look for natural stones. Others mainly look for vividness in colour and shine in stones. And others really don’t mind if the stone is man-made. So there is a market for enhanced natural stones and alternatives stones, including lab-grown diamonds. Gemstones really is a big industry with different consumers.
I am not sure what you mean by astro stones. Maybe you are referring to stones related to birth month. To answer your question, I feel drawn to certain stones but not necessarily the stones of my birth month. I feel drawn to different stones at different points in my life. At times, the stones I am attracted to align with the energies of my astro natal chart. Do you find yourself drawn to certain stones? 😊
I have a moonstone from India. Also in recent years, I have worked with the brown Shiva Lingam stone. I have a black one too. My collection is quite big actually from rough stones to cabochons to raw crystals set in silver sterling 😄
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Indeed, gemstone is a big industry. By astro stones, one could mean your birth stone or as per ancient astrology system, stones that help you get over certain situations.
Good to know you love gem stones. It would be interesting to read about it in a blog post. What is your experience and your take on the same.
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I think you know more about astro stones than me, Arv 😊 It would be interesting to write about a post about gemstones and my experience. I don’t know many people who share the same tastes and ideas in gemstones as me, which is interesting. Thanks for the idea, Arv.
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I definitely think it will be interesting to know what attracted you and what made you buy those specific stones.
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The more I think about it, the more I have so much to say about gemstones and why I am attracted to certain pieces. Lots of food for thought. Thanks, Arv 😄
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We all would love to read about it, Mabel. Start writing 🙂
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Maybe thinking first, and going through my gemstones and rocks. So many to look at 😄 I hope you have a collection too ❤
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Mabel, I don’t have any 🙂
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That’s interesting. Maybe time to start thinking about a gemstone collection, Arv. Even a small one 😄
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haha..thanks for suggesting, Mabel. I would have such a hard time thinking about it. 🙂
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Oh wow!!! I love collecting gemstones. They are so beautiful and colourful to look at. Thank you for sharing this guide.
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I’m glad you like collecting gemstones. Indeed, they are beautiful.
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This is fascinating and so insightful, I’m sure it will help so many people. Fantastic pictures.
Thank you for sharing.
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I’m glad this will be helpful, Thanks Sally for sharing your thoughts
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Great insights! It’s always inspiring to read content that highlights strong values and connections. If you’re looking to be a part of the Best Community in India, this is definitely a space to explore and engage with.
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Impressive blog!!! This blog is really very interesting to read and I would love to read more blogs like this.
Thankyou for sharing this blog to us.
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Thank you
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