Rajkot is a major imitation jewellery hub because the skills, the workshops and the suppliers of every part sit in the same city. Families of goldsmiths and silversmiths have worked here for generations, and when demand grew for affordable jewellery that looks like gold, the same craft moved into brass, copper and alloy pieces finished with gold, rhodium or antique plating.
For a buyer, that concentration means you can see design, casting, plating, stone setting and packing in one trip, and compare several makers for the same style without leaving the city.
A long tradition of metalwork
Rajkot has long been known for silver jewellery such as anklets, chains and toe rings, and for gold work sold through the old jewellers' streets around Soni Bazaar and Palace Road. Imitation jewellery grew out of this base. The people who carve masters, make moulds and set stones learned their trade in precious metal, and they bring the same eye for detail to brass and alloy pieces.
That history shows in the finish. Rajkot pieces are often praised for crisp detail in traditional designs such as temple, kundan-style and antique gold necklace sets, which depend on good master models and careful hand finishing.
The whole chain in one city
An imitation jewellery piece passes through many hands. Rajkot has specialists for most of them, usually within a short drive of each other:
- Designers and master makers who carve or 3D-print the first model.
- Die makers and casting units that turn the model into rubber moulds or stamping dies.
- Plating units for gold, rhodium, rose gold, antique and micro plating.
- Stone setters working with CZ, glass stones, kundan and imitation pearls.
- Suppliers of findings such as hooks, clasps, chains and earring backs.
- Box, card and pouch makers for retail packaging.
Range and speed
Because the parts of the chain are close together, new designs reach the market quickly. Many workshops release fresh designs every few weeks for the domestic wedding and festival seasons, and export buyers can pick from that range or ask for their own versions.
Rajkot also mixes scales. Some units are larger factories with their own casting and plating lines, while many are small family workshops that do one or two stages and pass work along. Both can produce good jewellery, but they need to be checked in different ways.
What this means for a buyer
The depth of the cluster is its strength and its risk. Choice is wide and prices are competitive, but quality, plating thickness and material safety vary a great deal between workshops, and many sellers who say they manufacture are actually wholesalers.
Creston & Co works for buyers only, for a fixed fee agreed in writing. We visit Rajkot workshops, check plating and finish, have samples tested at NABL-accredited labs and supervise packing before goods leave. See the imitation jewellery we source, or start with a free sourcing review.