C Krishniah Chetty Group stops using Chinese cultured pearls

With the possibility of China being behind the global pandemic, we profess a total ban on use of Chinese gems by Indian jewellery industry,” the 150-year-old jewellery group's MD and Director C Vinod Hayagriv said.

Bengaluru-based jewellery retailer C Krishniah Chetty Group of Jewellers on Monday said it has stopped using cultured pearls, which are suspected to originate from China, in their jewellery. C Krishniah Chetty gemologists will stop procurement and use of Chinese origin pearls, and instead will use either Japanese or Venezuelan or Indian pearls in their jewellery, the company said in a statement. China has increased production of freshwater pearls and has been cultivating pearls surpassing Japan in quantity over the last decade.

"Although Chinese pearls are much cheaper and plentiful, the import duties must be increased to make it unprofitable and to discourage these imports. With the possibility of China being behind the global pandemic, we profess a total ban on use of Chinese gems by Indian jewellery industry," the 150-year-old jewellery group's MD and Director C Vinod Hayagriv said. Origin disclosures have been taken seriously in the last decade by the company and it is important jewellers ensure origin tracking of the more expensive gems, both for environmental and political reasons, he added.

This is in the wake of the recent Indo-China face off in Ladakh, after which there has been a growing sentiment among traders to boycott Chinese goods. C Krishniah Chetty Group of Jewellers is adding more strength to its own production of jewellery and focusing on training more artisans, Hayagriv said. "The government should discourage Chinese imports and make efforts to strengthen the Indian industry," Krishniah Chetty Group Director Chaitanya V Cotha said.

Although India may lose some investments, or exports to China, in the bigger scheme of things it's important to support Indian manufacturers and their products or alternative international sources, he added. Chaitanya further added that, "Although we have been using man cultured Chinese pearls which are not natural, these were always considered inferior to those cultured in Japan. Hence, we are happy not to use pearls of Chinese origin." Meanwhile, to safeguard against COVID-19, the brand propagated and followed stringent safety measures for employees and customers at all its showrooms that opened for business after the lockdown..

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