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Bob Along To Bobbili Gems
By Linda Shenton
Believe it or
not, despite our large Asian community in Zambia, items such as the
nose-stud are elusive. Tired of buying endless supplies from Game
Stores, when they remember to re-order just for me (one loses them
frequently, without going into details of how), I decided to pay a
visit to the Asian-owned Bobbili Gems, confident that here at last,
I would find a vast range.
Opened a year
ago, in the Taj Pamodzi Hotel, off Church Road, Bobbili Gems is jam
packed with a vast array of jewelry and individual cut stones. The
lady managing the shop is pleasant, but one has to work quite hard
at extracting information. Maybe she could tell that I hadn’t come
armed with wads of cash in a bulging handbag, but she wasn’t going
to take out any of the expensive stones for my closer examination!
Quality and
prices range hugely at Bobbili Gems, there are some inexpensive
items such as pendants for K25,000 in various semi-precious stones
or cut stones including Tanzanite for many hundreds of dollars.
Much of the jewelry and stones are imported from Hong Kong, although
she stressed many times that most of the stones are mined in Zambia,
even though many of the stones on sale do not occur in Zambia, such
as tiger eye, turquoise, tanzanite, and pearl. The final assembly
of the necklaces and other pieces is done here at their factory.
Also made at the factory are pieces hand-made in gold or silver
using precious stones.
It might be a
useful place for young teenagers to visit in their search for
inexpensive Christmas presents for loved and lusted ones.
Personally as a “more mature” shopper (by that read experience, not
age), I didn’t see much to my taste, although there were some stud
earrings that might entice me back at US$54. I’m sure that visitors
staying at the hotel enjoy a browse through the bazaar, and marvel
at the range of jewelry available in Zambia at quite affordable
prices.
For those of you
reading this, who share my eternal quest for nose-studs, there is
good news and bad news. The bad news is that they don’t have any on
display already made up, but the good news, is that if you visit
Bobbili Gems in the evenings, you will find the owner who can make
one up to your requirements, using one of the cut, precious stones
on display. Sadly for me, however, that brings on more bad news,
unless the custom-made nose stud could be permanently cemented in
place, I could no more think of having one made from a lovely
Zambian emerald or my personal favourite – the Tanzanite, than leave
my brand new VX Landcruiser parked unlocked with ten million Kwacha
on the front seat in Cairo Road (“dahling”). |
December 2004