Journey from Mines to Gemstones

The concept of my thesis stems from the single word- Gemstone. The idea of picking gemstones as a topic was to tell people about the importance of these minerals in our country. While most people may be familiar with their importance, few are aware of how many mineral mines we have here in Pakistan. And are we aware of how many stages a Gem goes through before it gets to the consumer? Through this body of work, I wish to highlight the good things this small industry has to offer and also investigate the struggles of the labor, the craftsmen, the exporter, the transporter and many more people who are involved in the chain.

My research and exploration has also brushed upon aspects pertaining to when a consumer acquires a gemstone such as it quality, pricing and originality. I hope to highlight all the qualities of the gemstone that can make us differentiate between the fake and the real, so that people are able to make an informed decision.

The work brings to the forefront some of the aspects that we may perhaps not be curious about, but should know in order to become better consumers.