GHANSHYAM Mathur is a shy and modest man who minds his own business in Agra. His business is Kohinoor Jewellers, a showroom that is a landmark in the city, and to which a visit is as de rigeur when you are in Agra as is a trip to see the Taj Mahal itself. The jewellery business was started by this family of Kayashthas from Delhi in 1862. A few years before that, during the rule of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Mathurs moved from Delhi to Agra. Ghanshyam is today a fourth generation Mathur who runs Kohinoor. He is an affable man, a storehouse of information on jewellery dating back to the Mughal period, and a charming host.

He describes the business simply: �Our jewellery is not gold-oriented but exclusive works of art in precious stones. It is exclusive, unique, and caters to the quality conscious. The jewellery is more to Western taste and our clientele is international. People don�t just walk into Kohinoor off the streets. They come by invitation or appointment.� Time was when Kohinoor�s customers included the royal families of India and the British rulers. He learnt the business from scratch and today his expertise lies in identifying high quality gems and creating innovative designs in jewellery.

While Kohinoor offers the connoisseur of antiques some great pieces of priceless period art, the jeweller also has a reputation for making fine modern jewellery as well. High quality gemstones like emeralds, rubies, blue sapphires, cat�s eye, tanzanite, aquamarine, amethysts, garnets, lapiz lazuli and more are used in Kohinoor�s creations. Each piece is completely designed in-house by master craftsmen working under direct supervision of Ghanshyam and his family, including gemologist daughter Ruchira.