In a narrow street made narrower by rows of parked motorbikes, businessmen sitting cross-legged on the sidewalks or perched on the motorbikes, are conducting business with their clients. The tools of their trade are basic — trays lined in velvet, tweezers, and magnifying glasses. Their wares are anything but.
These men in Surat, a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat, are trading in diamonds, carrying the precious stones wrapped in small squares of colored paper in their shirt pockets. The casualness of the whole operation belies its complexity. Both the sellers and the buyers are seasoned businessmen who can quickly appraise the smallest of diamonds. Deals worth thousands of dollars are sealed over cups of tea ordered from street vendors.
