With the relentless pace of international trade trips, it is not uncommon for Tom (Crystal World Founder) to wake up occasionally wondering what country he is even in. In early April 2026, the answer was Jaipur, India—one of the premier gemstone and jewellery hubs in the world. The trip was timed to attend the International Gem & Jewellery Show (IGJS) Jaipur, organised by the GJEPC. This major industry event anchored a highly productive six-day trade mission focused on ordering new manufacturing runs for custom jewellery lines while simultaneously scouting local buyers interested in the rough, raw gemstones Tom mines back home in Australia.
Sourcing and Trading at the IGJS Show
Inside the trade venue and local sorting offices, the procurement process became highly detailed. Joining thousands of international buyers, the team sat directly with suppliers to review thousands of carats of loose, faceted gemstones and smooth cabochons laid out on sorting trays. Using precision gem tweezers and digital scales, they carefully inspected and sorted vast quantities of vibrant material, including deep blue sapphires and tanzanite.
Visiting a Malachite and Mineral Supplier
Before diving completely into the design workshops, another key priority on the ground was visiting a trusted local supplier to inspect a stock of vibrant minerals.
Malachite is a fascinating mineral for a geologist to evaluate because it completely transforms from its raw state to its finished form. In its raw, natural state, it often forms in rough, velvety, or bulbous (botryoidal) clusters that look almost organic, occasionally interspersed with bright blue chrysocolla or azurite as seen during hands-on quality inspections.
Once sliced and meticulously polished, its true beauty is unlocked, revealing the stone’s famous, mesmerizing concentric rings and sweeping bands of alternating light and dark emerald greens. Inspecting these pieces in person allows Tom to verify the density and colour contrast of the patterns, ensuring only the most visually striking pieces are selected for custom carving and high-end jewellery settings. Beyond loose material, the team also sourced intricately hand-carved theological pieces, such as a highly detailed Ganesha sculpture carved entirely out of deep blue Lapis Lazuli.
Assembling the Design Team
While Tom handles the raw minerals and bulk geological stock, navigating consumer jewellery trends requires a different skill set. To coordinate the new production lines and ensure the designs hit the mark, Tom brought along a collaborative team to manage the aesthetic side of the trade:
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Lisa Stark: Brought along to spearhead the consumer buying decisions. As Tom candidly noted, having her expert eye was essential given his own self-confessed lack of understanding regarding what women actually look for in jewellery designs.
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Marie Chantal Nadeau: Visiting from Costa Rica, Marie assisted Lisa with coordinating design layouts while also sourcing stock for her own business back home.
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Sally Patel: A seasoned traveller to India who stepped in to advise both Lisa and Marie, providing valuable local market context and navigation based on her extensive travel experience in the country.
The team balanced intensive business hours with brief moments of downtime, catching up on design logs by the hotel pool and receiving warm cultural greetings at their accommodations.
Experiencing the Culture and Sights of Jaipur
Jaipur proved to be an exceptionally safe and friendly city, even if the heavily congested, fast-moving local traffic took some getting used to.
Rather than just holding closed-door meetings, the team spent time experiencing the local street life—including trying freshly fried samosas bubbling in massive street-side cast-iron woks. They also took in the historic architecture of the region. Overall the trip was a success and established the groundwork for Crystal World’s jewellery collections. Trading directly at the source remains a key strategy for securing high-integrity pieces for our collections.
