From lack of knowledge to lack of tools
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“A goldsmith knows the value of gold, the value of a gem is known”; It is said that the value of anything is determined by the expert and the master, and this old saying beautifully evokes this concept regarding the work of gemologists and gem cutters who are struggling with various problems these days and perhaps few people understand the true value of their work. be a slave
They shine in shades of blue with green and turquoise streaks and make the eye of every viewer stare and the tongue to praise. They are lined up in regular rows next to each other and are eye-catching with their indescribable beauty; Shining stones that, although seeing them, delights every viewer, but the market of these precious stones has not been booming for years. Ever since artificial stones entered the world jewelry market, they have been welcomed by people because of their very low value compared to natural gems, and they have made the market of these valuable stones unprosperous.
The introduction of artificial stones into the jewelry market has also made ordinary people unable to distinguish these artificial gems from natural stones, and this issue also provides the basis for the activity of counterfeiters and fraudsters in this business, and the trust of the public towards sellers and marketing in this field is less. has done.
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People’s lack of knowledge is the reason behind the lack of growth in the gem market in Shiraz
A gemmology and gem cutting expert also believes that people’s lack of knowledge about gems is one of the most important problems of people active in this field, which has caused the gemmology industry to face many problems and not be able to prosper in the country despite its diversity and rich capacity. .
Mehdi Gharibzadeh stated in an interview with IRNA: Gemstones have been neglected in Iran and have not been recognized and paid attention to as they should be. This is while these stones have high added value and can have a significant currency gain for the country.
He continued: These precious stones have an added value between 500 and 1000%, but unfortunately, due to the lack of knowledge and awareness of gems and the abundance of synthetic products or fake gems in the market, this industry has suffered a lot.
Emphasizing that our main concern is the existence of fake gems similar to the original ones in the market, this gemologist said: These fake gems are imported, and every month nearly 40 billion tomans worth of fake gems enter Shiraz.
He stated: It has happened a lot that criminals and fraudsters have made artificial or imitation gems very similar to natural ones in order to sell them as a substitute for natural gems. Of course, good measures have been taken recently to prevent such violations and effective steps have been taken to solve this problem by issuing birth certificates for gemstones.
He said: Our biggest problem is the lack of awareness among the people. This industry has not spread among the people as it should, and culture building in this field has not been done. But issuing a birth certificate for gemstones makes people able to distinguish a fake gem from an original gem with a birth certificate.
Regarding the characteristics of a gemology expert, he said: the person who identifies gems must be an expert, that is, his education, expertise and experience are related to gemology and he has completed specialized gemology courses; An expert must see many examples up close to earn the title of expert gemologist.
Gharibzadeh stated: One of our problems is that, despite many violations, stones are still bought and sold, and people are not aware of the laws and how to issue birth certificates.
He advised: People should be careful in buying stones so that in addition to buying high-quality stones, they don’t go under the burden of heavy costs, so that this global trade can ultimately make a good contribution to the country.
People’s acceptance of fake stones
Parisa Zare, who is one of the other activists in this field in Fars province, said that her biggest concern is people’s lack of knowledge about stones and said: Our most important concern is people’s lack of knowledge and awareness about stones. This issue has made people less accepting of natural gemstones and turn to buying fake gems.
Zare, who is considered as one of the producers in this field, added: I have been working in this field for about three years. My goal of working in this industry is to produce practical products in a way that is compatible with today’s lifestyle and is in line with the tastes of the society.
He added: One of my ideas is the combination of several stones and the combination of stones with natural leather, and this idea has been well received by the people.
Lack of tools and equipment for cutting stones
One of the most important components for activity and success in the gem industry is the use of high-quality tools and equipment. According to people active in this field, the current economic conditions in the country and the existence of economic sanctions have caused gem cutters to face a shortage of tools and equipment. They say that they are facing a shortage of quality tools to work in this field and these devices are sold at unbelievable and very high prices in the market.
Kamran Rahmanood is one of the young people who are interested in this art and craft, who has a very good skill in gem carving. Complaining about the lack of quality tools for gem cutting in the market, he said: tools are very important and can help improve our work.
Stating that good tools can increase the speed and quality of work, he said: For example, by using good tools, we can cut 200 gems instead of 100 gems per day.
Regarding his activities in this field, he said: I was born in 1379 and I have been working in this profession for about a year and a half. If the necessary facilities and equipment are provided to operate in this industry, we can definitely help the development of the province and even the country.
Marketing problem to sell products
But the obstacles and problems of this industry are not limited to people’s lack of knowledge and lack of tools and equipment, and some activists in this field believe that marketing is one of the major problems they face in presenting their products. The artisans in this field are facing a marketing problem while the marketing strategy and stages are followed in a specialized manner today, and this strategy should be formulated based on the stages that a product goes through from the time of production and release to the market until it declines. To be able to play a significant role in selling products.
Leila Rahmanood, an activist in the gem industry and a member of the board of directors of the gem department, who believes that gems are a neglected industry in Iran, considered marketing to be the most important problem for artisans in this field and told the Islamic Republic of Iran news agency: We sell gems either in combination with metals. We work or sell in the form of jewelry, but we face a fundamental problem in the cycle of production to supply.
He added: Providing these works requires a powerful marketing set. Unfortunately, due to the nascent nature of this industry, producers are involved in the production process, which takes a lot of time, and they don’t have time for marketing. This is when we have to sell the produced products in the domestic or foreign market and selling these products has become a big challenge for us.
Rahmanood asked for support from the authorities and said: “Currently, we urgently need the support of the authorities and we hope that conditions will be provided so that the authorities can help the activists in this field in selling.”
The need to pay attention to job creation in this art industry
Majid Salimi, Deputy of Handicrafts and Traditional Arts of the General Department of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Fars Province, also considered gem art as a job-creating art and said: This art can create high added value for Fars Province and even the country.
Emphasizing that job creation is our main and most important approach in this art and craft, Salimi said: Expanding the market of gemstone products can be the main driver of the development of this art and craft.
He added: “This year, we are planning to expand this art industry by injecting 5 billion Tomans under Note 18 facility.”
The deputy director of the General Department of Fars Cultural Heritage continued: We have 43 types of gemstones that are not explored and extracted, and we do not see the production process in this area. Therefore, considering the place of this art in creating employment and high added value of products and healing properties of precious and semi-precious stones; Supporting the production, promotion and commercialization of this art field is one of the basic strategies for the development of handicrafts in Fars province.
Fars province has a favorable ability in the development of industries related to gold, jewels and gems, and with the resolution of the challenges and problems of this industry, a new window in economic relations will be opened towards the development of the province.