Word of caution for jewel lovers

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Even the most trusted person could fool you with flamboyance. At least that is what happened to Kiran Nadar, wife of HCL chairman Shiv Nadar. According to news reports, she was cheated by a Jaipur-based jeweller, who had allegedly

been selling her jewellery studded with fake gems for over 15 years now.
The accused, 50-year-old Govind Narain Johri targeted only rich families and has been involved in eight such cases previously too.
The incident, however, didn’t come as a shock to Delhiites. “Such cases have always been happening only to taint the sanctity of the business of jewels,” says jewellery designer and diamond merchant Nitiin Vijay, who thinks that not only jewellers but consumers are also to be blamed. He says that for cheap bargains, many consumers fall in the trap of people who don’t have a reputation in the business.
“The business of jewellery is mostly based on trust and unless you have that there’s no guarantee of authenticity,” he says.
Interestingly, jewellery lovers agree. Danseuse Geeta Chandran says that it’s a trade of total trust that is built over a period of time.
“You can’t go to a certain jeweller and trust him at one go. It takes years to form trust. I’m fond of jewellery but I refrain from buying big, chunky pieces. I use jewellery as a design accessory. To me, workmanship matters more than the quality of gems,” says Chandran, who doesn’t spend extravagantly on a single piece of jewel and goes in for beautifully carved and cut pieces.
Even designer Monisha Bajaj is cautious while spending huge sums on jewellery at one go. She knows many cases where people have been smartly duped and thus always takes preventive measures. “If I’m buying gold, I always go for the hallmarked one. In case of diamond, we ask for the lab certificate as an assurance. But in the case of precious stones or other gems, you have to trust the person you are buying it from. I usually spend a small amount while buying from a new person. Also, I always go with a person who knows about gems and jewels,” says Monisha.
Dancer Sharon Lowen agrees and says it would be foolish of anyone to buy a stone of great value without getting it double-checked. She always goes to a reputed gemologist. But like Chandran, even she treats jewellery as a design accessory.
“I go for the ones fitted with small but pretty stones. Those don’t come at an expensive price and look beautiful too. Moreover, you don’t really have to be worried about the quality as you are getting a pretty piece at not that expensive price,” she says. However, as a caution, Nitiin says that a consumer should always get a jewel double checked before paying the entire amount. “One should not mind paying a few bucks extra for a genuine piece. At the end, it’s always beneficial,” he concludes.