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Are you a globe trotter at the heart?Does the dazzle of diamonds drive you crazy?Then you must add the name of Surat to your global diamond itinerary. The Surat diamonds will help youexplore the rich heritage of traditional Indian gems and jewelries and rediscover the magic of unknownIndia beyond its Ayurvedic spas, elephant safaris or mysticism!

Here is a secret for making the most fabulous deal on Indian diamonds; give a miss to the lanes andby-lanes of famous Mumbai 'Javeri Bazar'---instead take a tour through the Surat diamond shops to grabsome really exquisite pieces. In case you are not sure about the whereabouts of the place, let's informyou: Surat, one of the major industrial city in the state of Gujarat, is tucked in the far west of thesubcontinent and is a great place to indulge in the opulence of diamonds! The art of diamond cutting andpolishing in Surat is regarded one of the best in the world.

An introduction to the flourishing diamond industry in Surat

South Africa is precisely the country that majority people would associate with the diamond industry. Butbusiness centers in the other parts of the world are catching up fast and steady. Surat is one ofthem---this little known Indian industrial hub is fast emerging as a big player in the world diamond arena.

Indian diamond companies of course took the advantage of the cheap labor; but it was not all. The otherfactor that contributed to this enormous success is the traditional expertise. Like the orthodox Jewishcommunities that helped earn Antwerp its name in the world diamond circuit, it is the close knit religiouscommunity called the Palanpuri Jains, who remain the main author of Surat's success story in the trade ofdiamond jewelries.

But how did it all begin? Let's take a glimpse on its past, discuss the present business trends and analyzewhat are on the cards for this emerging diamond hub?

Surat diamond industry: The past

surat diamond cuttingYou can find the mention of the city of Surat even in the Indian epics and ancientscriptures. The British and Portuguese influence turned the city of Surat into an important port city and a

vital business hub.In the turn of 20th century, the city started its journey to become the nerve center of the diamond industryin the country. According to the local lore the initial set up was based on the expertise of the East Africandiamond cutters who were brought to the Indian shores in the early years of the past century.

However, the real twist in the success story of Surat actually came in the 1970's when the Indian diamonddealers started importing low-quality gemstones, and exporting them to the U.S. after turning them intodazzling pieces with their unmatched cutting and polishing skills.

The past few years saw a steep decline in the diamond processing industry in Mumbai---the traditionaldiamond hub in India and this acted as the additional boon for the Surat diamond industry. Surge in theeconomic and infrastructural degradation over the past few years forced several Mumbai based small aswell as big diamond Houses to shift their bases in the neighboring Surat.

And all these have eventually contributed to the making of present Surat---the world's largest diamondprocessing centre.

Surat diamond industry: The present

surat diamondsSurat has left its mark of excellence in all the three departments of the business---manufacturing, importing and the export of processed diamonds.

So how big is it actually? Let's try to find the answer from the following statistics.* The city contributes to more than 80% of the Indian annual export amounting to Rs 70,000 crore.

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* Every 9 out of 10 diamonds you get to see in the plush stores in the big cities all over the world is cutand polished in India and 75 % of all these diamonds owe their sheen to the Surat Diamond industry.* Over 1.5 million people are engaged in the diamond jewelry industry of Surat.

Surat diamond industry: What it holds for the future?

Traditionally Surat diamond industry dealt only with lower-quality diamonds. But with the growth andexpansion in the market, the character of the Surat diamond industry has changed dramatically:* Today, top quality, expensive stones are cut in Surat that can give a run for their money to those cut in

Antwerp, New York and Tel Aviv.* As opposed to the traditional, family run small cutting and polishing units, today's workshops are largerand professionally managed, keeping to international industrial standards.* Most of the companies are smart enough to set up branches in the cities like Antwerp and Tel Aviv, sothat the local workers can absorb the tricks of the trade.* With exposure to a highly lucrative diamond market, both abroad and back home, and with everysupport from the Government, Surat---as believed by the trade analysts-is soon to replace the Belgium'sHasidim as the global leader in diamond industry.* On a global scale, the Surat based companies are coming up with thousands of diamond retail storesthat are expected to herald a worldwide cut in the diamond prices for years to come.

What you can get in Surat?

The Surat diamond industry is mainly based on imported rough uncut diamonds, which earn theirdistinguished sheen and shine in the hands of expert cutters.These brilliant diamonds are used along with gold and other precious and semi precious gemstones tocraft out exquisite jewelries that can be the reason of envy for any gemstone collector. Be it anengagement ring or the bangle, a necklace or earrings, the jewelry wardrobe of any fashionable lady inthe whole world is never complete without the Surat diamond jewelries.

And as said earlier, because of the low production costs, you can get them really cheaper than those youwill get in the countries like Israel or Belgium.