Agau Jewels Private Limited

Getting up to the first floor here on Hill Cart Road takes a minute if you’re carrying heavy things. Agau Jewels Private Limited is tucked away near the United Bank of India, which is a good landmark if you’re lost in the Darjeeling traffic. It gets quite cold here in the winter months, so we usually have a small heater running near the counters. The jewelry isn't just sitting there; we spend a lot of time cleaning the glass cases and organizing the drawers. It’s a lot of small pieces to keep track of every day. The noise from Hill Cart Road never really stops, you just get used to the horns and the sound of the engines outside. We have some wooden chairs that have been here since the start and they creak every time someone sits down. It’s a local spot, nothing like those huge malls you see in the bigger cities. Most people know us by name because we’ve stayed in this same spot for a long time. Sometimes the electricity flickers when the weather gets bad up here in the hills. We keep some candles and a torch under the main desk just in case. Working with jewelry means we have to be careful with our hands and keep everything tidy. It is not a big team, just a few of us making sure the shop stays open and the inventory is right. We usually have our tea in the back room while listening to the rain.