Exports

• India exported about US$9.8 million in pearls (HS 7101) in 2023; top destinations included Japan, Hong Kong, Bahrain and the U.S. (this is loose pearls, not finished jewellery). India is also a net importer of cultured pearls used in manufacturing—e.g., US$9.05 million of worked cultured pearls and US$16.1 million of unworked cultured pearls were imported in 2023 (mainly from China, Japan, Hong Kong)
  
• For finished jewellery, pearl items mounted in precious metal are reported under HS 7113 with other gold/silver jewellery; India’s overall precious-metal jewellery exports were US$29.3 bn (2024), showing the scale of manufacturing even though pearl-only breakouts aren’t separately published.
  

What “quality” means (how to spec/buy):

• Globally accepted grading follows GIA’s 7 Pearl Value Factors: size, shape, color, luster, surface, nacre quality, matching. (GIA also expanded nacre grading in 2025). Use these on POs and lab reports.
  
• When mounted in precious metal for India retail/export, ensure BIS hallmarking on the metal parts (gold/silver).
  

Why India/where in India (regional specifics & strengths):

• Hyderabad (Telangana) is India’s historic pearl-drilling and processing hub—the “City of Pearls”—with traditional markets around Charminar/Laad Bazaar; state tourism notes the old city is known for pearls and bangles. This gives reliable access to drilling, bleaching/whitening, stringing, and repair services at scale.
  
• Marine pearl heritage: India’s research bodies (CMFRI) have long worked on Pinctada fucata and related oysters in the Gulf of Mannar/Gulf of Kachchh, underpinning local know-how even though most commercial cultured pearls today are imported.

Compliance you’ll be asked for (exports to the EU/US etc.):

• Nickel release limits for jewellery in contact with skin: ≤0.5 µg/cm²/week (and ≤0.2 for pierced-part posts). Lead ≤0.05 %; Cadmium ≤0.01 % in jewellery. Build these as spec lines & test to EN 1811.
  

Shell jewellery

Exports

• Finished shell jewellery typically ships under HS 7117 (Imitation Jewellery) when set on base metals/threads. India exported ~US$145 million of HS 7117 in 2023; OEC shows ~US$152 million with the U.S., U.K., Spain as top buyers. Use HS 7117 on quotes unless precious metal settings apply.
  
• Raw/unworked shells are HS 0508; worked mother-of-pearl articles are HS 9601 (useful for non-jewellery shell craft lines & components).
  

What “quality” means (shell):

• Conch (Turbinella pyrum, “sacred chank”): look for clean, thick walls, even white matrix for carving/bangles; avoid fossil-weakened pieces for wearables.
  
• Mother-of-pearl (from pearl oysters): grade by layer thickness, even iridescence (orient), low porosity, and cut integrity; avoid edge-chip and delamination. (HS scope confirmation for MOP: 9601 incl. worked MOP articles).
  
• For shell jewellery with metal findings, the same REACH limits for nickel/lead/cadmium apply as above.
  

Why India/where in India (regional specifics & strengths):

• Odisha (Puri, Cuttack): conch-shell (śaṅkha) carving & jewellery (bangles śaṅkha–pola tradition) are signature crafts supported by the Directorate of Handicrafts & Cottage Industries.
  
• Tamil Nadu, Gulf of Mannar: long-standing chank (Turbinella pyrum) fishery; Tamil Nadu’s fisheries history notes commercial significance and employment around Tuticorin/Kayalpattinam—key origins for conch blanks used by East-Indian craft clusters.
  
• Bengal region: conch bangles are embedded in Bengali Hindu wedding customs, sustaining specialist workshops (useful for narrative & GI-style branding).
  

Sustainability & legal red lines (build these into buyer decks):

• CITES applies. You must not use tortoiseshell (hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, Appendix I, commercial trade banned). Stony corals (Scleractinia) and giant clams (Tridacnidae) are Appendix II—require CITES permits if traded. Write “No tortoiseshell/corals/giant clams” into supplier contracts and marketing claims.
  

HS code cheat-sheet

• HS 7101: Pearls, natural or cultured (loose). WCO chapter text.
  
• HS 7113: Jewellery of precious metal (pearl pieces set in gold/silver). (Category context).
  
• HS 7117: Imitation jewellery (typical for shell jewellery on base metal/thread).
  
• HS 0508: Shells, corals etc., unworked or simply prepared.
  
• HS 9601: Worked mother-of-pearl & other animal carving materials (for MOP tiles, inlays, buttons, some jewellery parts).

Quick, source-backed talking points

• India is a processing & design hub for pearls, not a primary producer: we import cultured pearls (China/Japan) and convert them into finished jewellery, graded to GIA’s 7 factors and hallmarked by BIS when mounted in precious metals.
• Shell jewellery has deep Indian provenance: Odisha & Bengal conch traditions and Gulf of Mannar chank resources provide cultural storytelling and skilled hand-carving capacity; use HS 7117 for most shell jewellery exports.
• Compliance first: clearly state “No CITES-listed shells or tortoiseshell; REACH-compliant findings (Ni/Pb/Cd)” on every PI.