Indian Jewelry » Pearl Jewelry India

India used to produce fine natural pearls since olden times. The traditional varieties were of beautiful ivory & golden yellow hues.
Indian traditional natural (oriental) pearl fisheries existed in the Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu) and the Gulf of Kutch (Gujarat), buttheir production dwindled subsequently.

Cultured Pearls:
With the efforts of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute of India (CMFRI), the country achieved a break-through in culturing pearls, without help from any other country. The Vizhinjam centre near Trivandrum (Kerala) produced pearls, hence a project was launched for culturing. Efforts for production for commercial purposes continued in Tami Nadu and Gujarat too but these projects have not yielded much and remained largely experimental. Rajasthan has joined the aspirants after successful culturing in 1994.

An inland source of Oriental pearls has been the flow from former royal families and the elite. Now most of the pearls being processed, sold in the domestic market and exported are imported from abroad. Pearl varieties imported include Biwaco and Keci, besides natural and cultured ones. The principal supplier has been Japan, but Chinese goods are also coming in, which are popular in South India as 'Hyderabadi Pearls'.

Pearl Processing:
Pearl processing in India has its main centres at Mumbai, Surat and Pundra. Although pearls do not require cutting, their drilling is a skilled job calling for high precision. Jaipur is now doing it by using ultrasonic machines. Processed pearls also enjoy demand at home, particularly in the marriage season. Some of them are used in fine jewellery. They figure prominently in sales to tourists, particularly those from rich Arab lands. The rest of the stock is exported to many destinations.

Like diamonds and colored gemstones, imported pearls too enjoy exemption from customs duty as well as auxiliary duties. This exemption covers raw real pearls, cultured pearls & raw cultured pearls, including admixtures of pearls containing raw real pearls & cultured pearls.