Pakistan exports most gemstones in raw form due to a lack of lapidary experts, who could add value to both the precious and semi-precious stones for a lucrative price in the international market. “If the unskilled population in the mineral-rich parts is provided with lapidary raining, it will not only help create business opportunities, but also add revenues to the kitty,” said Mamoor Khan, the patron-in-chief of All Pakistan Commercial Exporters Association (APCEA). Talking to WealthPK, he said the cottage industry could be developed in the mineral-based barren lands by providing training to rural communities. He noted that despite having great deposits of precious and semi-precious gemstones, Pakistan was earning far less than its potential.

Mamoor Khan said APCEA was working with government institutions to set up lapidary training centres. He said lapidary was the art of cutting and polishing gemstones. He added that though polishing of gemstones was done through machines, centuries-old hand tools were still in use, particularly in India, to remove flaws from gemstones and polish them. Talking to WealthPK regarding the importance of making lapidary a regular part of the cottage industry by training youth, Zakirullah, a former APCEA chairman, said besides training youth in lapidary, it was also important that the youth had minimum education of matriculation because in stone cutting, the proper knowledge of geometry was essential. Zakirullah said APCEA was striving to popularise lapidary in the gemstone industry. “This segment of the gemstone industry must be promoted through public-private partnerships.”

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)