Orah Jewels & Crafts began with Anosh Bin Suhail and Mariya Suhail, two kids who came back from family trips to Pakistan's northern areas fascinated by the raw gemstones they found along the way. That fascination became a business in 2012, when the two co-founders established Stones & Beads Manufacturing Company (SBMC) in Lahore, a workshop built to do something most jewellery brands in Pakistan still do not: cut and finish gemstones in-house, rather than import finished pieces and put a local name on them.

More than a decade later, that workshop on Harbanspura Road has grown into a full production facility with around 50 workers, an in-house lapidary, and a client list that spans local and international buyers. What has not changed is the starting question we ask about every piece: where did this stone come from, and can we prove it.

Most jewellery sold as "handcrafted Pakistani jewellery" is finished product imported from wholesale suppliers and repackaged under a local name. Our process runs the other way. Rough stone comes to our Harbanspura workshop directly from the miners and local traders we buy from, and every step after that, cutting, polishing, setting, and finishing, happens on our own floor by our own named craftspeople.

We also cut and polish gemstones for other jewellers and hobbyists who need beads, cabochons, bangles, drilling or faceting done by hand. If you want the full picture of how a stone moves from rough to finished piece, our gemstone processing guide walks through it, and our guide on how to evaluate a jewellery brand in Pakistan explains exactly what we think every buyer should be asking before they trust a "handcrafted" label.

For more than twelve years we have sourced rough gemstones directly from miners and local traders across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and Balochistan, the regions that together produce the overwhelming majority of Pakistan's gem output. Swat emerald, Skardu aquamarine, Hunza ruby, Katlang pink topaz, Kohistan peridot, K2 jasper from the base of K2 itself; when we name a stone's origin, it is the region our own buyers travelled to.

We go into more depth on this in two guides: Gemstones of Pakistan, a complete expert guide to 25 of the stones we work with, and Where Are Pakistan's Gemstones Found, a province by province look at the mines behind them. If you are curious how to tell 925 sterling silver from silver-plated alloy before you buy, our silver versus gold-plated buying guide covers that too.

Our workshop produces natural gemstone rings, necklaces, bracelets and bangles, and earrings for both women and men, alongside men's rings and cufflinks. Beyond jewellery, the same in-house stone work goes into Islamic home decor, including pietra dura plaques and calligraphy frames, and into corporate gifting for teams, clients and occasions.

Once a piece leaves us, it is meant to last. Our product care guide covers how to look after each metal and stone we work with, from sterling silver to porous stones like lapis lazuli and turquoise.