The lustre of gemstones at Pasar Rawa Bening in Jatinegara is now\nmerely a memory. A decade ago, rows of kiosks selling agate and precious\nstones were packed with buyers and collectors. Unfortunately, the fate\nof gemstone sellers now appears dire, with stones becoming increasingly\ndifficult to sell optimally. Many sellers have chosen to close their\nkiosks because they can no longer afford the electricity bills or\nbuilding rent.<\/p>\n
One gemstone trader, Arif, admitted that market conditions have been\nvery quiet recently. He noted that after the Covid-19 pandemic hit,\nsellers needed five to seven days to sell a stone to a customer. Now,\nthere are times when a stone may not sell at all within a month. The\ndwindling number of buyers has forced several kiosks to shut down rather\nthan continue incurring losses. \u201cMany have closed because they can\u2019t pay\nthe electricity bill,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
To meet his living needs, Arif has been forced to sell his gemstones\nat much lower prices. For instance, a stone previously priced at Rp5\nmillion to Rp7 million is now being sold for Rp500,000 due to the\npressure to afford basic necessities. \u201cSometimes, after one or two\nmonths, for the sake of eating, we sell items that were priced at Rp5\nmillion. Like it or not, the price has to drop first so we can survive,\u201d\nhe explained.<\/p>\n
Fellow kiosk manager Jeje shares the same view, observing that\nproduct sales have dropped drastically since the pandemic and have yet\nto recover. There are periods when Jeje cannot sell even a single\ngemstone ring. He explained that sellers who can still report daily\nturnover are considered very fortunate. \u201cIf you can still talk about\ndaily turnover, that is already very good in my opinion,\u201d he stated. At\nhis stall, Jeje offers a wide variety of gemstone rings, claiming that\n99 per cent of the stone materials originate from Indonesia, such as\nJava or Sumatra. He prices the rings according to their quality, with\nbetter quality commanding higher prices.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, another trader, Sandi Shadewo, said he feels grateful if\nhe manages to sell two or three rings, given the recent decline in\npublic purchasing power for gemstones. Global economic uncertainty has\nalso affected people\u2019s finances, as the rising cost of basic necessities\nhas forced many to curb spending on tertiary products or hobbies. \u201cI am\ncontent if I can sell two or three pieces. Sometimes they are Rp200,000,\nsometimes Rp100,000. Occasionally, if I am lucky, I can get more than a\nmillion, maybe Rp1.3 million,\u201d he revealed. Seeing these conditions, he\nhopes the government, through the Ministry of Tourism, will help\nintroduce this cultural heritage to both local and international\ntourists in an effort to boost the income of gemstone artisans at Pasar\nRawa Bening.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fading-lustre-gemstone-traders-in-jakartas-surga-batu-akik-shutter-shops-1783525964", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }