Ancient market of precious and rare stones in Lahore

Lahore: Lahore, the capital of Punjab, has the oldest and largest market for precious stones.

Located in the Lohari area, Nagina Market sells rare and precious stones, but now there is also an abundance of imitation stones. In the Nagina market, precious stones are available according to their status and weight, while duplicate stones imported from China can be found for Rs.5 to a few thousand rupees.

Shopkeepers say that only a jeweler can distinguish between real and fake stones. 28-year-old Ibrahim, a resident of Droghawala area of ​​Lahore, believes in the charismatic properties of stones and is fond of wearing rings studded with different stones.

He says that his friends used to come here to buy different types of stones which are available quite cheaply. That’s why they also come here, but they complained that now many shopkeepers are cheating here, telling them that it is real stone and giving them fake ones. This has happened to them many times.

Another citizen, Kamran Ali, says that he wanted to buy duranjaf and coral. A shopkeeper told him the original and gave him duplicates. He did not recognize the stones, so he took them. When he went to a jeweler to set them in a ring, he told them that these were not real stones but duplicates. When he came back, he started arguing with the shopkeeper and said that these stones were not bought from Pathran.

This Nagina market of Lahore has been established since the Mughal period, where today there are around 100 Nagina vendors, who sell gems and stones by decorating their stalls on the ground. Agate, ruby, coral, amethyst, topaz, lapis lazuli, turquoise, maryam stone, moy najaf, laksia are worth mentioning in Nagina market.

Mahar Muhammad Bilal, president of Nagina Market, whose third generation is now selling precious stones and Nagina in this market. He said that there are all kinds of stones in the market. These stones are imported from neighboring India, Afghanistan, Iran, Bangkok and China. Gemstones are priced according to their weight. The stones range from three to 25 carats in weight and their price ranges from a few 100 rupees to four to five lakh rupees. He said that common gemstones are sold by the kilo.

Maher Muhammad Bilal says that if this matter was brought to his knowledge, he would have taken action, counterfeiters are not allowed to sit in the market. He said that there is no official authority or machine for identification of stones. Their identification can be done with experience and expertise or the jeweler gets it checked by a private lab.

Another shopkeeper, Muhammad Shafi known as Mullah Jat, says that no shopkeeper in Nagina market cheats any customer who is told that the stone is a copy of the original stone. He said that there are many ways to identify genuine and fake stone, real stone weighs more while glass weighs less. The color of real stone darkens over time or does not change its original color, while the color of plastic and glass stones fades over time.

According to the shopkeepers, there are duplicates of sapphire, topaz, coral, ruby ​​and other stones in the market. These duplicates are manufactured in China, by melting down fragments of the original stones and the powder accumulated during their grinding, and molding them into stones, which are sold at a much lower price than the original stones, while the glass stones are colored.

Buyers from all over the country come to buy stones from Nagina Market. Haji Zafar Iqbal, an elderly jeweller, says that one of the main reasons for the interest in these stones is religious devotion. Some of the stones that come from Iran and Iraq are Hosni and Hussaini turquoise, Yemeni and Sulaimani topaz, red ruby ​​and coral. Ruby and Marjan are also mentioned in the Holy Quran. He said that there are hair-like waves inside the Muay Najaf stone, some stones coming from Iran have different names and impressions.

A local jeweler of Lahore, Sulaiman Butt, says that in the Nagina market, only common stones are available, the price of which ranges from 10 rupees to a few thousand rupees, and rare and precious stones are found only in jewelry shops. The price of which ranges from a few thousand to lakhs of rupees.

Sulaiman Butt says that some people believe that stones affect the human personality, they wear stones according to their star by making their horoscope from a palmist, precious stones are mostly attached to silver rings while ordinary stones are placed in rings made of metals like iron, brass. These rings are available for 20 to 25 rupees.