Our History
1888: The First Generations of Gemstone Trading
Sri Kesrimalji Kothari founded a business around his passion for gemstones. The first office was set up in Madras (now known as Chennai) in 1905. He stationed himself in Jaipur, and had his son Sri Ghisilalji Kothari travel the Indian continent and Burma in search of exquisite stones to offer to Indian clientele.
1958: Expansion
In turn, Sri Ghisilalji trained his son Sri Bhimraj Kothari in Jaipur and Chennai, and directed him to travel to Hong Kong in 1958 to identify new business prospects. In 1961, Sri Bhimrajji established an office in Hong Kong under the name Universal Gems. By 1970, he was regarded as one of the leading gemstone traders in the region. Soon after, an office in Bombay (now known as Mumbai) was established, and then Emrusa Ltd., in Bangkok, was inaugurated in 1981. Here, he joined the Thai Gem Trading Association (TGTA) and was a founding member of the International Coloured Stone Association (ICA), trade guilds of which Emrusa remains a proud member.
1983: The Fourth Generation
Under Sri Bhimraj’s guidance, his son, Virendra (Bobby) Kothari, earned his Graduate Gemologist degree from the New York branch of GIA--Gemological Institute of America--and was given charge of the Bangkok office. His elder brother Narendra also obtained his GIA degree, and was assigned the Hong Kong office. Their training included intensive studies of sourcing, grading and identification of diamonds and coloured stones.
A large percentage of the world’s coloured gemstones go through Bangkok, although the Thai ruby and sapphire mines for which the office opened have long since been depleted. From stone-cutting to artisanship, this city remains the nexus of precious stone trading by importing raw materials from around the world to process, cut and polish in Bangkok with unsurpassed expertise. Coupled with Virendra’s deep knowledge and passion, the rich supply of stones is the foundation of Emrusa’s success.
1994: From Gemstones to Jewellery
In 1987, Virendra married Namita Surana, daughter of a prominent jewellery family. After attaining her Graduate Gemologist degree from GIA, and vocational certificates in jewellery designing, she decided to nurture her talent for jewellery by working with clients on a bespoke basis. This venture is enhanced by Emrusa’s strong network of jewellers and gemstone traders; the large supply, in-house sourcing and assortment of stones allows her to create exquisite pieces for her customers.
Today: The Fifth Generation
Likewise, Shreyans Kothari, son of Namita and Virendra, great-great grandson of Kesrimalji Kothari, obtained his Graduate Gemologist degree in 2013, after achieving a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the UC Berkeley.
He joined the family business and works on two fronts. The first is to provide traders with a varied supply of consistently assorted gems. The second is to create bespoke jewellery for clients.
His sister Shruti, an alum of Brown University and the University of St Andrews, is a magazine editor and runs creative writing workshops; she has also started her own concept jewellery line. Their sister Saloni is an artist and a health food aficionado, and is currently studying at UCLA. Their brother Suyash attends Brown University; he nourishes a passion for computer science and social equality, and we are all excited to see where that leads him!
