Bhansali Jewels

Our place is tucked away in Nagewala House, which is part of Johari Bazar. If you know the area, you know how tight those lanes can be. We’re on Sothali Walon Ka Rasta, right near Choura Rasta and close to the Halwayi Samithi. It’s a very old building, number 1534. The walls are thick, which helps a bit with the heat in the summer, but it still gets quite warm inside. There’s always the smell of food from the nearby vendors drifting in through the windows. We’ve been in this spot for ages. It’s a traditional way of working here. We sit on the floor mostly, on white cushions, showing pieces to whoever stops by. It’s a very busy neighborhood, lots of shouting and bells from the rickshaws outside. We deal with a lot of loose stones and traditional settings. Sometimes the electricity goes out and we have to use flashlights to see what we’re doing. It’s just part of being in this part of town. We know most of the other jewelers on the street, as we’ve grown up around them. It is not like a modern store with air conditioning and glass doors that slide open. It is an old-school setup where you have to know which lane to turn into to find us. We just keep doing what we know, day in and day out, without much fuss.