Gem Arts Emporium

Our place is right across from Saheliyon Ki Bari on Saheli Marg. It’s a famous spot in Udaipur, so we get a lot of people walking by after they visit the gardens. The shop is at number 119. We’ve been here long enough that most of the local guides know where we are. We keep a lot of different stones and artistic pieces in the displays. It’s a bit of a mix, really. Some days it’s very quiet and we just sit and polish things or reorganize the glass cases. Other days, a whole group comes in at once and it gets quite hectic for us. The building is older, which gives it some character, but it also means we’re always fixing something, like a leaky pipe or a creaky door. We don’t really do big advertisements. Most people find us because they’re already in the area for the sightseeing. We try to keep the shop cool because the Udaipur sun can be pretty intense in the summer months. It’s a family-run kind of thing, so you’ll usually find one of us behind the counter. We’ve seen the street change quite a bit over the years with new cafes and shops popping up nearby. We just keep doing our thing with the gems and the art. It’s a decent life, and we get to meet people from all over who are visiting the city for a holiday. Sometimes the tourists ask for directions more than they ask for prices.