Gem Notes
Learn the stone before you buy it
Straight answers on identifying, pricing, choosing and caring for natural gemstones — written for buyers in Pakistan, with the Urdu names you already know.
Gem Notes · Cat's Eye Lehsunia Benefits: What Tradition Says About Cat's Eye and Ketu
No stone in the Pakistani bazaar carries quite the reputation of lehsunia. Astrologers mention it with respect and a bit of caution. Familie…
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The Saturn customs, where they disagree, and the practical care that keeps the purple Wearing Jamunia (Amethyst): Finger, Hand, Metal, Day and Setting
Amethyst, which we call jamunia after the purple jamun fruit, is one of the easiest gemstones to wear. Good sizes are affordable, it is hard…
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Why two stones of the same weight cost differently Moh-e-Najaf Price in Pakistan: Reading the Needles, Per Carat and Per Ratti
Walk through Saddar or along Tariq Road asking about Moh-e-Najaf, and three shops can give you three prices that are miles apart for stones…
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Gem Notes · Topaz Buying Yellow Topaz: How to Choose a Good Golden Stone
Few stones cause more confusion in Pakistani markets than yellow topaz. The name gets used for genuine golden topaz, for citrine, for heated…
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Gem Notes · Lapis Lazuli Lajward (Lapis Lazuli) Prices in Pakistan: What You Are Paying For
Lajward is a stone most Pakistani families already know, even if they have never bought one. It turns up in old silver rings and in a grandf…
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Gem Notes · Amber Kehruba (Amber) Price in Pakistan: What Makes One Piece Cost More
Kehruba, as amber is called in Pakistan, is not a mineral at all. It is tree resin that has fossilised over millions of years, and it gets p…
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Gem Notes How to Choose a Zamurd: An Emerald Buying Guide for Pakistan
When someone asks us how to pick a zamurd, the answer is always the same order: colour, then the behaviour of the inclusions, then size. Tha…
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Gem Notes How to Choose an Opal: A Buying Guide for Pakistan
A good opal flashes brightly from most angles, is solid natural opal rather than a thin glued-on layer, and has no cracks. Brightness counts…
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Gem Notes Is Your Lehsunia Real? Spotting a Fake Cat's Eye Before You Pay
A real cat's eye has a soft, living line of light that slides across the dome and shifts as you move a torch over it. Fibre-optic glass give…
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Gem Notes Zabarjad (Peridot) Benefits: Beliefs, Wearers and Everyday Strengths
Zabarjad, the stone most of the world calls peridot, belongs to Budh (Mercury) in Vedic astrology. People often wear it as a softer, easier…
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Gem Notes Choosing a Moh-e-Najaf: How to Judge the Needles, the Body and the Cut
Pick a Moh-e-Najaf by its needles before anything else: their colour, how well they fill the stone and where they sit on the face. Then make…
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Colour, clarity, ratti rates and how to read a bazaar quote Gomed (Hessonite) Price in Pakistan: What Each Rupee Pays For
When someone brings a gomed to our counter and asks what it is worth, we look at three things before anything else: the colour, how clean an…
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Gem Notes Malachite (Dahna-e-Farang) Prices in Pakistan: Pattern, Size and Telling a Fair Quote
Malachite is one of the cheaper natural stones you can buy in Pakistan. What it costs comes down mostly to how beautiful its bands are, how…
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