Overview
- India
is the largest manufacturer of cut & polished diamonds
and the gem processing industry is one of the largest
in the world, but price realization is the least. The
industry is labour intensive, non-polluting, and export-oriented.
- Industry
depends on imported raw material but value addition is
very substantial
- Industry
employs 7 lakh workers, a majority of them in a few urban
clusters such
 as
Surat (Gujrat), Trichi (Tamil Nadu) & Jaipur (Rajasthan).
- Although
domestic demand for diamonds is low, the demand for gems
& gold and silver jewellery is increasing & has
always been main source of employment.
- Rajasthan
is the biggest production centre of coloured precious
& semi-precious stones. About 65% of India's export
is from Rajasthan. Emerald constitutes the major chunk
of the export, Jaipur has been identified as a major centre
for gold jewellery export, whereas for silver other areas
are Alwar & Salumbar.
- Technology
till recently is traditional but it needs to be sophisticated
owing to different tastes of Indian and foreign customers.
Historical
Perspective of Jaipur-
-
The Tradition of jewels started in old capital of Jaipur-
Amer, when Mirja Raj Ram Singh ji, the erstwhile ruler
invited noted jewellers from all over country to settle
here and practice the art of Jaipur meenakari, kundan
work & gem cutting & polishing.
- In
1723 AD, Sawai Jai Singh II named certain areas of the
city after popular jewels and artisans, e.g. Manak Chowk,
Moti Katla, Johari Bazaar etc.
-
Cutting & Polishing is predominantly done by hand
and it requires an immense degree of skill and with years
of experience.
-
In Jaipur, industry is over 300 years old.
-
Important gems- Emeralds, Rubies, Sapphires & Diamonds.
A whole list of semi- precious stones such as Garnet,
Amethyst, Citrine, Aquamarine, Peridot,
Moon-stone, Tourmaline etc. go into making the contemporary
designs of modern world blending with ethnicity.
PROBLEM AREAS
Skill
upgradation & technology improvement- Child
labour involvement
- High
working capital requirement
- Low
exposure to trade shows and business development avenues
- Lack
of raw-materials
- Lack
of semi-skilled & skilled manpower
| Performance of
interventions | | RCCI-SDC
Collaboration |
|
