Crystal Stone Star Agate

Khambhat is known for its stones, and we are right in the middle of it near the Kadri Masjid. My family has been working with agates and crystals for as long as I can remember. It's dusty work, and our hands are usually covered in grit from the grinding wheels. We don't have a big showroom with bright lights. Most of the stones are kept in crates or spread out on tables so we can sort them by size and color. You’ll find all sorts of shapes here, some polished and some just raw pieces straight from the source. We spend our mornings sorting through the new batches that come in. It takes a lot of patience to get the edges smooth. The shop isn't fancy, it’s a workplace first and foremost. People from the neighborhood stop by to chat, and sometimes traders come to see what we’ve finished lately. We use the old methods mostly, because that's what we know. It's a quiet life, focused on the details of the rocks we find. Some days are slow, and we just sit and polish while listening to the sounds from the mosque nearby. We aren't trying to be the biggest exporters or anything like that. We just take pride in the stones we produce here in Kadiwal. It’s honest labor and a way to keep the tradition going in our own small way. It’s been this way for years and we just keep at it.