Cambay has been known as the gemstone-cutting centre for centuries. But, today due to various reasons it has lost its lustre. Therefore time has come when serious thought has to be given as to how the age?old famous place like Cambay can be made into a Gemstone Paradise of India.

There are four different ways by which a new approach to the entire concept of Cambay's Prosperity can be envisaged.

Although manufacturing of gemstones is being carried out in Cambay, new and innovative methods have to be utilised to create excellent quality goods to stand in the world competition.

For this it is very essential to change the attitude of the workers, dealers and the public in general. In India due to over population labour is cheap but at the same time cheap labour becomes very costly when the finished material is third grade and cannot be sold in the global market. Skilled labour getting good wages will give good results. This will improve the dealers' attitude towards the world market, as they will be able to face it with a new vision. This in turn will change the opinion of the overseas buyers with regard to Cambay material. People have always been under the impression that the material from Cambay is of low quality ?this has to be changed.

So the first step is to choose the best skilled workers, pay them more and then demand excellent quality.
Many a time gem manufacturers have a tendency to collect and store raw material of inferior quality since they get it at cheaper rates. If this material is properly assorted and the better quality goods are removed and faceted separately, they would fetch higher profits. This system is better than mass production of good and inferior material together. This in turn is big loss as there is hardly any buyer for it. Storage of poor stuff makes the entire place look ugly. Net effect the impression any outsider gets is that the dealer sells only material of poor quality. Besides if the workers are the good then it is wastage of time, energy and money as well as bad management to manufacture the material without assorting.

Second step is to assort the good quality raw material to get pieces of excellent quality.
Before buying the raw material and cutting it, it would be advisable to make a thorough market survey of what is required in the domestic market and what is demanded in the international market. After this the raw material has to be procured. Here it is also essential to keep track of the market trends. There are times when certain types of goods are in great demand whereas there are times when there is absolutely no client for it. Either through Internet or through Trade magazines it is in the interest of the dealers to keep track of the market. Piling up dead inventory can be suicidal at times.

Third step is to do market survey before material is bought and cut.
Most of the profit?making companies go into loss without realising the wastage they made. Proper inventory and reduction of wastage is the first step towards progress. In Idar-Obserstein, in Germany the small pieces of semiprecious gem chips, the remains of gem materials after the faceting, are tumble polished and filled in tiny bottles and sold to tourists. Any thing and everything is recycled and sold off to make place for the new material.

Fourth step is to do proper Wastage Management
The type of cutting in Cambay has to be improved. It is imperative that precision has to be present even for a cabochon cut. The diameter, the height the proper curvature and perfect shape are all very important to get excellent cabochon. Today the cabochon is not only round or oval but it can come in many fancy types of shapes like drop, square, pentagon etc. Care should be taken to align the cat's eye effect, the star effect in the centre of the stone. It is often seen that in order to gain more weight the good colored cat's eye has an off centric eye effect. This has to be avoided.

Besides cabochon there are also other fancy shapes which can be of equal importance. For example amethyst, citrine, peridot, aquamarine, topaz, tourmaline etc. can be fashioned into beautiful carving type cuts. For this. Lapidiary Journals, international catalogues have to be consulted to create new types of cuts. This requires new machines, training the labour force and a creative mind.

Fifth step is to innovate and create fancy cuts besides the usual ones.
Even if the material is good but if the polish is not perfect the entire effect can ruin the effort resulting in the customer rejecting the piece. Good polish, good finish on any product pays off rich dividends and creates more customers. Excellent quality polishing powders and good scaifes are the best investments a gem manufacturer can do. Today very good Scaifes are available which can carry out the faceting as well as polishing that can give good finish.

Sixth step is to insist on good finish.
Although many of the manufacturers in India have good cutters, good materials, good finished products, there is no quality control. To quote the example of Idar-Oberstein, the gemstone cutting factories there, have very few people actually cutting the gems as most it is done by computer aided machines, by robotics. But, there are literally hundreds people employed to check the colour, shade, hue, tone, shape and polish lustre of each and every stone that leaves the factory. This ensures repeat orders as coloured gems in the international markets are bought on the basis of the colour shade and tone. In Cambay it would be possible to employ ladies to do the actual colour shade grading of the gemstones. Repeat orders of particular shade would be possible just by email if the grades are standardised to some extent.

Seventh step is control of quality.
When every aspect is looked into the result would be excellent workers, good raw material, good quality finished product that has been checked for quality and controlled to meet high standards then each person will automatically develop a sense of pride for the place. People will start regarding Cambay as a place where one can blindfolded buy quality products. "Made in Cambay" would be a mark of quality. Internationally it does not take long for people to realise where one can get the best quality. Foreigners will make a beeline towards Cambay. This requires hard work. Hard work creates good reputation but to maintain the quality has to be mission of everyone.

Instil "Pride of Place" and make "Made in Cambay" a synonym for quality.

Catalogues
Once the excellent quality goods are ready then it is necessary to market them where they can fetch very good price. Detailed catalogues can made as to let the international market know what is available and what is possible in the Cambay market. If something unique can be made that is typical of Cambay then it can sell also in the domestic market. Today even De Beers has realised the vast potential of the Indian markets, and that is why they continuously advertise for diamonds in the TV and print media. Cambay products should also be advertised. All five?star hotel lobbies, tourist centres, temple outskirts should have Cambay Association Shops that display good quality products. A good catalogue can be made displaying which dealer or manufacturer deals in a particular type of goods.

Advertisements
Advertisements in print media are a must these days. Good eye?catching advertisement can create a new market that would never have been tapped otherwise. There are many products in the market that would never have been sold had it not been for aggressive advertising. Periodical advertisements in magazines, journals, monthly and fortnitelies would give tremendous awareness of Cambay Articles.

Packaging
Packaging is another aspect that needs to be looked into. Attractive and decorative packaging can sell more goods. This is the universal truth any glamorous stuff catches the eye and one is tempted to possess it. Cambay products have never been packed in good packing and therefore very few people tend to buy them. Unique type of packing may be with mirror work sachets, boxes with cabochon of agates would add to the beauty of the article.

Internet
Today the world has seen new method for selling of the manufactured goods. A person, who is sitting in Australia, can with the push of a button of his computer, can see what the seller in Brazil has. This method of buying and selling on Internet is not only cost effective but is in itself a huge advertisement on the global front. Your goods are scanned, their description, the weight of the stone, the size, the shape of the material reaches within seconds the remote corners of our planet. Cambay requires this type of aggressive selling by the means of Internet.

Exhibition
Another very effective method of selling is by participating in exhibitions, attending International fairs and exhibiting in major gem stones meets. Very few people in the Indian Gem trade have given importance to this. With the result there is no proper exposure to the domestic and international markets. It is imperative today that Cambay manufacturers attend exhibitions, exhibit their products in the Fairs. At least twice a year regularly if Cambay products are exhibited then orders would come flooding from all corners of the world.

Delegations
Delegations of the Indians dealers often visit foreign countries. Among the delegates there should be actual workers and labour force who directly deal with the cutting of the gemstones. Because if the workers actually see what type of quality goods are available in the international market then they have an idea what is expected of them.

Gemstones are also used in various fields like :

Gemstones need not be always used in jewelry alone. There is a wide range of possibilities by which gemstones can be manufactured to suit different purposes. In the case of Electro Crystal Therapy seven different gemstone types are used. Chips of rubies, emeralds, garnets, blue sapphires, yellow sapphires, citrine quartz, amethyst are put in different glass test tube with alcohol. A mild electric current is sent through this tube that is held by patient. According to the people who practice this therapy a large number of ailments can be successfully cured by this method. The Cambay Manufacturer has a good market potential here to make such type of test tubes filled with small chips of these gems and can be sold in the world market.

Similarly Vastu Shastra, Feng Shui, Crystal Therapy, Aura Therapy, Astrology, Birthstones according to Months require certain gems. So if a person is engaged to find out the actual gemstone needs of such therapies then new opportunities and new avenues for sale of gemstones are possible.

Idar Oberstein in Germany has a great similarity with Cambay. Both have an age old Agate Industry.' Both have skilled workers, Both are known for centuries, in fact Cambay is known for over thousands of years. Both are away from the main Cities. But Idar Oberstein is known the World over as Gemstone Centre and is a Tourist Attraction. Cambay also can be made into a famous Tourist Centre. It has everything: gemstone factories, temples, silk industry and very hospitable people.

Museum
A good Museum could be made to house different types of gemstones, it would display traditional and modem methods of cutting instruments. This would attract domestic as well as international tourists.

Motels
For tourist to visit Cambay the first requirement is of good hotels. These hotels need not be five star quality, they could be simple clean houses converted into motels which accepts paying guests for two or three days. Tourism department of the Gujarat Government could be approached to give more information on this.

Training Centre
There should be a good training Centre. Tourists love to visit where actual work is being carried out. If the tourists are allowed to do some practical cutting for a minute or two they would very thrilled.

Tourist shops
Tourist shops can be established that sell curios, mementos depicting Cambay. Tee Shirts, caps, pens, pencils, can be designed for the Tourist market.

Posters & Stationery
Large colourful Posters of Gems, picture postcards showing colourful gems, denoting Cambay as a gem paradise can be made to attract tourists. These should be placed in all 5 Star hotel lobbies. Cambay manufacturers shops should be established in the lounges of major International Airports.

International Awareness
International tour managers should be made aware of Cambay as a tourist centre and the gemstone cutting centre of India.

All this requires hard work dedication and willingness of all concerned people in Cambay. If properly and carefully take up the above suggestions, within next three years Cambay would regain its old grandeur and definitely become the Gemstone Paradise of India.