I am in Hyderabad and have been speaking to some people here who have mentioned that the pearls in Hyderabad are very popular and famous. I would like to buy some for the ladies in my family, but need to know the best places to buy them from and make sure I don't get cheated. Please advise.
I know of two shops which are certified and they are Sri Jagdamba Pearls and P.Satyanarayana Sons Jewelers.
Make sure the shop is reputed which you would probably know from the crowd in the shop, and that their products are certified. Then there wont be any chances of being ripped off. Most popular shops would also have a website as well. There is a small test you can do to find out if the pearl is real or not. Get the pearl and rub it on your teeth, if the pearl is gritty then it is real if it is smooth then it is fake.
Asking some locals is also a good option, especially the hotel you are staying at, if you are staying at a good hotel chances are they will direct you in the right way. The pointer given by Deven is very good, but I would also suggest you consult your local jeweler where you regularly go and ask them for tips as well, or references to the shops in Hyderabad (if they have any).
I would only recommend buying pearls if you know some basics about identifying quality, or if you are just interested in the experience for the fun of it. There are some great tutorials on line which give you a rundown of how to identify pearls and determine whether they are high or low grade. This is a great help, since it can prevent over paying for trash.
First, of all I will give you the advice that look around you is there any shop where the crowd is more or dense then I will recommend you to buy from that shop as its demand is more then only people visit that shop.But in my advice you should visit these two popular shops: 1.Krishna Pearls and Jewellers.and, 2.Kedarnath Motiwale Pearls Both are good and are fair they will never cheat upon you.It's my personal advice and from personal experience.
I would recommend Mangatrai Jewellery. It is a family-owned shop that has been in business since 1905. It has Tahitian, white and gold south sea and natural pearls. So they are pretty much a reputable and reliable shop to go to. On a related note, here are some tips I can give you on how to spot a real pearl: Real pearls are far from perfect, they aren't as rounded as fake pearls. Real pearls might also have dents or bruises. They also reflect light differently in different areas of the pearl. See if there's luster. Real pearls reflect light beautifully and when you look closely, you can see your reflection in it. Look for an overtone. For white pearls, there is a slight rosy or ivory overtone to them. For darker pearls, there's a variety of overtones in them.
@briannagodess thanks for the recommendation! I have a few family members that really like pearls, so some sort of nice jewelry could be a good souvenir for them. Plus, I do like being able to support a family owned business -- the fact that they have been around since 1905 is huge to me, it shows that obviously they're very well regarded! And great tips too about how to be able to spot something real over a fake pearl! Always important to know when you're shelling out good money on something like that.
