E-Paper
Diamond forever... but, gems for now
LESSER GEMS are catching up fast with diamonds in terms of daily turnover, thanks to astrological recommendations which have made non-diamond stones feel precious for the first time.
LESSER GEMS are catching up fast with diamonds in terms of daily turnover, thanks to astrological recommendations which have made non-diamond stones feel precious for the first time.
Major city jewellers say the daily turnover of blue sapphire, cat’s eye and amethyst besides 30 other varieties, is Rs 30 lakhs, which is as good as the daily turnover of diamonds. With price range of stones anywhere from Rs 2,500 to Rs 7 lakh, depending upon the “milli carat” value of the stone recommended by the astrologers, the jewellers have started keeping them all to tap the most rapidly growing segment in the gem stones market.
“You can get authentic Burmese, German, Thai, Austrian, Sri Lankan and South African gem stone varieties with jewellers these days without having to buy them from astrologers who provide no guarantee of their authenticity or origin,” says spokesman of the UP Sarafa Federation Vinod Maheshwari.
He says quite a few jewellers in the sarafa market now employ a full-time astrologer who offers consultancy to the customers on wearing suitable stones best suited for them when they come for advice at the shops with their horoscopes.
Maheshwari says gem stones have become an integral part of gold jewellery business as rings are worn by customers with stones best suited to their natal chart and personality. “I would say that the turnover of gem stones in the city these days is actually exceeding that of diamonds as people have considerable faith in the stones they are wearing or intend to wear for ward off their problems’, he said. Maheshwari said that a huge grey market for gem stones also exists all over the country where the biggest pitfall is that customers could be duped by unscrupulous agents who may pass off fake stones as real ones at huge costs.Moreover, there is no proof of sales as obviously no bills are provided for the gem stones.
It’s always advisable to purchase gem stones from genuine sellers as gem stones aren’t cheap investments, he added.
