Gurugram (Haryana) [India], October 16: It usually starts at home. A son is preparing for an important exam. A business has had a difficult year. A daughter’s marriage talks keep getting delayed. Someone in the family visits an astrologer, and the advice is simple: wear a Neelam, a Pukhraj, or a Panna.
The hard part begins after that.
In the market, the same “Yellow Sapphire” is offered for a few hundred rupees in one shop and for lakhs in another. One seller says the stone is “fully natural”. Another says ratti matters more than carat. A third quotes a rate that seems to change with every question. The family walks out with a stone, a small paper slip, and a quiet doubt that never fully goes away: Is this real? Did we pay the right price?
Ravi Kapoor, who founded Tushar Gems in Gurugram in 1998, says that doubt is the most common thing he sees in the gemstone trade.
“For many families, a gemstone is not shopping. It is hope,” he says. “They are buying it for a child, for a parent, for a new beginning. That is exactly why they deserve to know what they are buying.”
Why gemstones confuse even careful buyers
Gold has a hallmark. A gemstone has no stamp on it. To an untrained eye, a natural stone, a heated or filled stone, a lab-made stone and coloured glass can look almost the same. Prices depend on origin, colour, clarity, weight and treatment — details most buyers are never told.
Kapoor started in this trade with no family business behind him, and he says those early years taught him how much of the market ran on trust alone. “People were not asking for proof because nobody had told them they could,” he says.
Five questions that protect your money and your faith
Kapoor’s advice is not about which stone to wear. It is about how to buy any stone with your eyes open.
- “Is there a lab certificate?” A stone of value should come with a report from a recognised gemmological laboratory, carrying a report number, weight, measurements and a photograph.
- “Can I check it myself?” Enter the report number on the laboratory’s website. The photo, weight and colour must match the stone in your hand. “If a seller hesitates here, that hesitation is your answer,” Kapoor says.
- “Is it treated or untreated?” Heating sapphires and oiling emeralds are common worldwide and not wrong in themselves. Hiding it is. An untreated stone and a treated one are not the same purchase, and the price should show that.
- “What is the weight in carat and in ratti?” Labs certify in carats; many astrologers prescribe in ratti. The stone, the certificate and the bill should all show the same weight.
- “Where is the printed price and the bill?” A fixed MRP and a proper invoice protect you if you ever need to return or resell the stone.
Three beliefs worth letting go
“A bigger stone works better.” Size is a matter of weight and budget, not a measure of quality.
“A stone without a certificate is more traditional.” Tradition and verification are not opposites. A certificate only tells you what the stone is.
“If it is expensive, it must be genuine.” Price without proof is just a number.
Knowledge, not promises
What stands out in Kapoor’s approach is what he refuses to say. He does not promise that a stone will bring wealth, cure an illness or fix a problem.
“I cannot promise what a stone will do for you, and nobody honestly can,” he says. “What I can promise is that what you wear is exactly what you paid for — natural if we say natural, treated if it is treated, and certified so you can check it yourself.”
That thinking shapes how Tushar Gems works today. Natural gemstones are sold with lab certificates, stones certified by IIGJ Research & Laboratories under GJEPC India are clearly marked, treated and untreated stones are kept separate, and prices are printed. In 2025 the company launched Gemwix, sealed-pack gemstones in Classic, Premium and Luxury ranges, so that buyers anywhere in India can get the same standard. The Gurugram store also offers a free kundli consultation with no obligation to buy.
Faith deserves honesty
Kapoor, who is also a TEDx speaker, an author and the host of the Founder Journey Podcast, often returns to one idea when he talks about his 28 years in the trade.
“When a mother buys a stone for her child, she is trusting two things — her astrologer, and the person selling her that stone,” he says. “I cannot answer for the first. For the second, she should never have to wonder.”
His advice for anyone buying a gemstone this festive season is short: ask questions, check the certificate, and buy from someone who welcomes both.
About Tushar Gems Founded in 1998 by Ravi Kapoor, Tushar Gems and Jewellery Pvt Ltd is a Gurugram-based gemstone house offering natural, lab-certified gemstones, Rudraksha and handcrafted gemstone jewellery. It created Gemwix, positioned as India’s first dedicated gemstone brand, with sealed, MRP-priced packs in Classic, Premium and Luxury ranges. Stores: Gold Souk Mall, Sector 43, Gurugram, and Karol Bagh, New Delhi. Website: tushargems.com · Founder profile: tushargems.com/pages/ravi-kapoor
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