Gems, Beads, and Beyond: Highlights from the 26th Jewellers Association Gemstone Show

How important is the location for an event?

Well, a lot, according to Mr. Abhishek Sand, the co-founder and director of Savio Jewellery, and a member of the executive committee (2024-2026) of Jewellers Association Jaipur.

I was surprised to know that this was the 26th edition of the Jewellers Association Gemstone Show because truth be told, three days ago I had no idea about JAGS' existence. I actually got to hear about this show from a student of mine, Bhoomika, who got to hear about this show from a friend of hers, Abhishek, who was an exhibitor at this show.

So when I met Mr. Abhishek Sand, I couldn’t help but confess, “I have to admit, I had no clue this show even existed!” He laughed and reassured me, saying the event used to be held at a different venue, Janupyogi Bhawan on Govind Marg (if my memory serves me right), but this year, they decided to host JAGS at the Rajasthan International Center. Then he casually mentioned that over 1,500 people had already registered, and since it was only around 1:30 PM when we were talking, they were expecting about 3,000 visitors by the time the show wrapped up. Hence, it became evident that location certainly played a key role in drawing a larger crowd, even though the marketing could have been stronger. I will cover that later, but first, let's talk about my experience visiting JAGS for the first time.

Let's start with the registration process, because I feel I got lucky. I reported early at the show, around 10:00 AM, hence as soon as I entered the inauguration area, I quickly received my ID badge from the registration desk. Some of my students had to stand in a queue and wait for at least half an hour. 

With the formalities complete, I was eager to explore the show, so as I walked into Hall 2, I noticed that nearly every booth was showcasing rough stones. For a moment, I felt a bit let down since I was mostly on the hunt for cut and carved stones. But when I asked a vendor, he assured me I’d find exactly what I was looking for in Hall 1. Feeling relieved, I decided to take my time exploring Hall 2 - and thank goodness I did! I got to see the roughs of so many different stones, including some impressively large crystals. There were roughs of semi-precious stones like turquoise, rose quartz, amethyst, aquamarine, lapis lazuli, pyrite, malachite, agate, and citrine and the list just kept going. One exhibitor I got to chat with and buy from was NILE CORP, an importer of semi-precious, rough, and decorative stones. A heart-shaped houlite and an oval pyrite immediately caught my eye, and the vendor was sweet enough to help me find a matching stone so I could make myself a pair of earrings. If you're ever in Jaipur, you can visit them at 522, Hanuman Ji ka Rasta, Tripolia Bazaar.

While exploring hall 2, I got into brief conversations with a few vendors and impressive roughs grabbed my attention, but since I was specifically looking for custom-cut and carved gemstone suppliers, I made my way to the other hall.

As I entered hall 1, my eyes started glittering from seeing all the reflections within the perfectly cut facets on each stone, and I was soon greeted by Mr. Abhishek Patel from Fine Beads, a friend of my student, and he took me to his booth, where I got to see beads of semi-precious stones, majorly opals. He then went on to tell me how they have been exhibiting at almost every show, from Jaipur to Mumbai and from Hong Kong to Bangkok. I have a client who wants to wear a lion's head-shaped pendant carved out of a deep red stone and when I shared this requirement with Abhishek, he told me that they can carve any stone on order, hence, if you ever have such a requirement, feel free to contact Mr. Abhishek from Fine Beads here. After knowing what stone has the highest demand right now, aquamarine according to him, I let him tend to other visitors and headed on to the next exhibitor: The Silver Hub.

The Silver Hub for me had the largest variety of stones displayed at the booth with their booth equivalent to 6 individual booths. I got to see tiny carvings of watermelon tourmaline, opals, and corals. I loved the bumblebee jaspers and I bought a little piece of black onyx with a butterfly oval carving glued onto it for my beloved niece, Sayesha. She is 4 and I really hope she loves the pendant.

I then visited Zahara Gems' booth and oh sweet heaven, I was enchanted with their collection of carved stones. From seashells to roses, they had everything. Every piece that I held in my hand, I could visualize it being set in a piece of jewellery. The citrines, the amethysts, all these brilliantly done carvings were a work of art. Sure I saw carved stones at other booths, but here, the carved stones seemed to have a soul, souls that were speaking to me. I am definitely visiting them soon and you should too at 24360, Mithi Khothi ka Rasta, Tiba Purviyan, Gota Factory, Ramganj, Jaipur.

Also saw these lemon quartz at the S.R.K gems booth, I think they complement my skin really well.

After having conversations with some more vendors, I met Ms.Iqra Khan from Asiatic Gems who had an impressive collection of opals. Iqra was one of the many people who recognized me from our Instagram. In our brief conversation, we spoke about our jewellery design courses and how we teach topics that are important but usually not taught at most design institutes. She praised my realistic watercolor jewellery renders and proceeded to show her GIA emerging designer of the year 2022 award winning pendant/earrings inspired by Art Deco. The piece captures the essence of Art Deco really well and I am excited to see more of her work in the coming future.

I then proceeded to visit other booths and got to hold these massive rutile quartz at Onsaz Jewellery Creations, who are manufacturers and exporters of gems and jewellery. I was mesmerized by the acicular (needle-like) inclusions of these rutiles. Oh how they shined when I moved the stone in my hand.

As I was on the lookout for vendors who can provide me with custom stone carvings, I came across these beautiful stone carvings at the KKS Exports booth, and the clear quartz carved fish reminded me how I really need to go on a much-needed break, to go lie on the sand at the beach just sun-basking for hours. If you have a rough that you would like to get custom carved, you can visit KKS exports at 937, Mehron ka Rasta, Ramganj Bazar, Jaipur or visit their office at 134, Printer's colony I, Tonk road, Jaipur.

If you follow me on instagram, you must be aware of my admiration for the phenomenal Lapidary Artist, Mr.Dalan Hargrave. I have long praised his intricate gem carvings within my learners' community. So imagine my excitement when I got to hold similar works of art in my hands. I got goosebumps when I heard that all these gemstones were hand-carved by Gemstech's lapidary artists using a hand-held tool. I always thought maybe there is a machine in which you place the stone, but no, every single line that you see inside these stones is hand-carved, and what's even more impressive is that most of these pieces had radial symmetry. 

This was the time I was joined by my students from the Jaipur School of Design, JECRC University. From left to right, here's Saish Kotagi, me, Bhoomika Sharma and Aditi Mishra. I took them all to Zahara Gems and Gemstech, and both the exporters were kind enough to answer all the questions that my students asked and let them click pictures with the gemstones placed in their hands. It was a great learning experience for my students as this was their first time looking at carved stones. My student Aditi also felt inspired to use such stones in her upcoming jewellery collections.

With my students, I visited several other booths, and here's what we found:

Stunning collection of Ametrines by Ronak Gems.

Turquoise treasures by National Facets.

Diverse collection of Morganites at Nahar Impex.

Huge collection of opals and other semi-precious beads in varied cuts at G.R. Gems.

As I prepared to leave the show, I was greeted by a few other students from the university. From left to right, here's Mitali Jain, Saish Kotagi, Aditi Mishra, me, Bhoomika Sharma, Shivani Maan, and Aishwarya Abrol. It was great seeing them attend the show as it showcases there zeal to learn, and after chatting briefly and getting clicked, on my way back home, I began reflecting on the event itself.

While the show dazzled in many ways, attention to detail would have made the experience truly seamless. So let's talk about what could have been better. As a designer and as a businesswoman who teaches jewellery design in 150+ countries, I understand how important it is to make things easier for your customers. I had a hard time finding the entrance to the show because the banners were really small. I entered the Rajasthan International Center and asked a guard for directions because there were no banners. He pointed towards Block - A and told me I could enter the show from there. I entered block - A, there were no banners, I could see in the lobby that the show was going on downstairs. There was a little standee that read JAGS, and so I followed it and went downstairs only to find a closed door with three more visitors wondering how to enter. It took me 20 minutes of just roaming around and asking for directions with everyone pointing where I first went. Eventually I had to call Abhishek from Fine Beads to find the correct entrance. I have never experienced this at other jewellery shows, hence it was strange for me that the standees weren't placed in the main lobby but outside the elevators, almost hidden by the doors. 

Additionally, the lighting in the halls could have been better. From a visual merchandising perspective, good lighting can make the gemstones look much more appealing, thus increasing the overall sales.

Lastly, I feel the marketing around the show needs to be worked upon since many of my followers were as unaware about this show as me. Multiple learners from Jaipur told me that they would have visited had they'd known about the show. My students and I were lucky enough to have received a WhatsApp forward, but what if we didn't. Well, you wouldn't be reading this blog then, now would you?

But despite these minor inconveniences, the show offered incredible insights and stunning pieces, making it a memorable experience for my students and I. The exhibition was neatly organized and all exhibitors were really polite, especially towards the students, and I would definitely recommend you to visit the upcoming editions of JAGS.