Journal · · 5 min read
Buying lab-grown diamond jewelry direct from a Surat manufacturer: what changes for a US store
Most lab-grown jewelry in US showcases is made in Surat. Here is what changes when a store buys from the workshop itself, with stock in New York, instead of through a distributor.
By Ravi Dhameliya, founder, Aaryam Fine Jewelry
If you have sold a lab-grown diamond tennis bracelet in the last two years, there is a good chance it was made in Surat, Gujarat. The city cuts and polishes most of the world's diamonds and has grown a jewelry manufacturing base to match. What a US store usually does not see is the workshop itself: the piece arrives through an importer or a distributor, with their margin and their timetable attached.
Aaryam exists to remove that layer. Our family has made fine jewelry since 2007, and our workshop, Bhagwati Jewels, has been in Surat since 2013, with about 60 artisans on the floor today. Aaryam is the US company we set up in 2026 so that American retailers can buy from that workshop directly, with 14kt stock held in New York. Here is what actually changes when you do.
You talk to the people who make the piece
A distributor sells what it has bought. A manufacturer can change the piece. If you want a tennis bracelet half an inch longer, a bezel band in rose instead of yellow, or a cluster ring with a different center shape, the question goes straight to the CAD desk and the setters who will make it, not to a buyer who has to ask someone else. Made-to-order pieces take 3–4 weeks from Surat, and custom work set in New York takes 4–7 days.
The weight you pay for is the weight you choose
Gold is the largest part of a finished piece's cost after the center stone, and it is where a manufacturer's design discipline shows. Our line is engineered for light gold weights without compromising the durability daily wear needs: metal comes out where it does no work and stays where it does, in the shank, the gallery and the prongs. Because you buy from us, you see the gross weight of every design in the trade catalog before you order, and you decide the karat.
Stock in New York, not a container on the water
Direct does not have to mean slow. Our 14kt line is held in New York and ships the same day when you confirm before 1 pm Eastern, by insured FedEx, so a Saturday sale can be replaced early in the week. The made-to-order route from Surat is there for the sizes, karats and colours you do not want to hold.
No minimum, because a manufacturer does not need one
Distributors set minimums to cover the cost of carrying inventory they bought. We made the inventory, so there is no minimum order: a single ring from stock or a single made-to-order band is a normal order for us. Memo is available to approved accounts, and stock balancing is agreed case by case.
What stays the same
Larger center stones still come with an IGI or GIA report, and any other piece can be certified on request for a small fee. White gold is still rhodium-finished. You still get a line sheet with wholesale pricing and a person, Ravi, who answers the phone. The only thing missing is the layer in between.
How to start
Request a trade account at www.aaryamjewelry.com/account. Once your store is verified you receive a sign-in that opens the full catalog: every design with its gross weight, diamond carats and stone layout. Pricing follows on your line sheet.
