What the stars portend: Based on astrological signs, pPeople wear rings with different gemstones for luck, prosperity and health
In the bylanes of Old Delhi near the Red Fort, close to Subhash Park, second-generation gemstone sellers peddle their wares on the streets. Multi-hued stones spread out on waterproof gunny bags are available to customers for as little as ₹25 to thousands of rupees, depending on each stone’s clarity and ratti (weight). They include the coveted precious and semi-precious gems such as sapphire, amethyst, topaz, turquoise, garnets and hessonites, to more ordinary ones. The stones are in demand thanks to their supposed astrological powers. People of different faiths flock to the market in search of a piece of rock with the power to bring them luck, health, happiness and prosperity.
Chandni Chowk’s serpentine streets usually specialise in one particular item — the Kinari Bazaar in ‘borders’ for sarees and other clothing, the Dariba Kalan in silver jewellery, the bangle market near Ballimaran, and many more. The roads around Subhash Park have been given over to wholesale dealers in gemstones. Many of them are today worried about the Chinese plastic imitations flooding the market, which are confusing buyer and seller alike.
Many jewellery stores procure their gemstones from this market. The sellers usually keep a weighing scale handy to measure a gemstone’s weight, or ratti, which is directly linked to its value.
Photos: Kamal Narang
Treasure trove: Gems are stored in chests, and displayed in separate heaps when it comes to Chandni Chowk’s unique gemstone hub
Gold shower: A man inspects his shipment of topaz. Chandni Chowk is a hub for gemstone dealers, who source them from bigger markets such as Jaipur
Faith healers: Some dealers sell rings made of copper and iron, which are touted to possess natural healing properties
Study the lines: A palmist doubles as a gemstone seller
Men of the street: Most gemstone dealers squat on the pavements in Old Delhi, a place they’ve operated out of for two generations
Published on July 28, 2017
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.