The Bajocchi family’s jewellery business is Egypt’s oldest and possibly the last sparkling gem of what was once ‘Paris on the Nile.’
Evidence of Cairo’s former grandeur can be found around Opera Square among jewellers and silversmiths like Atef Wassef, where photos of the Clintons and various ‘authentic’ royals lend their endorsement to the shops’ antique watches, coins, military medals, cups, bags of rings and a handsome rhinoceros, all sold by weight at LE 3.75 per gram.
Across Abdel Khalek Sarwat Street that led to Cairo’s original Opera House and on Shepherd Hotel verandah, once the gentile ladies and gents of Cairo, clutching opera glasses, pocket watches and sporting fine jewellery crafted in the workshops, one of which that of the Bajocchi family, has survived.
The Opera House and Shepherd s may have been engulfed by the mob, but the Bajocchi store survived. It survived nationalisation, revolution, internment and survived a war or two over five generations.
Politics and trends come and go, but class is permanent, and it is that feature that has maintained the Bajocchi reputation as purveyor of quality Italian jewellery at Egyptian prices.
So girls, take an evening off from watching DVDs of Desperate Housewives and re-visit that ol’ friend – you know the one, the girl’s best friend.
Jewellers are quoting diamond prices to be 30 percent less than in Europe and up to 50 percent less than you would pay in France.
One carat diamonds, imported from Antwerp, the world’s diamond trading center, start as low as LE 20, 000. Loose diamonds are imported tax free and only attract 10 percent sales tax.
The diamond traders in the Bijoutire Jewellery shop said that their best customers are Australian, Spanish and Japanese.
“The Americans don’t buy; diamonds are the same price for them at home. The British don’t care so much about price, it is quality they are looking for .
This is the trick with buying diamonds. Cost, carat, colour, clarity and cut. The five Cs. Unlike gold or silver, there is no universal diamond price per gram. You will need to do a little research. Try www.diamondring.com. Any ‘diamond buyer’s guide’ will point out that you should ask for a certificate.
Pietro Bajocchi, who has been knighted by the Italian government, graduated from The International Gemmological Institute (IGI), so Bajocchi is probably the best place to start.
Opposite Bajocchi is a shop with a blond wooden interior that specializes in diamonds, but declined permission to print their name. “We often have foreigners who come in trying to sell their jewellery, but the quality is not good enough.
Diamonds, like cars, depreciate dramatically, with each step you take out the door. According to www.straightdope.com, “Prices are kept high by a cynical cartel that preys on vanity and stupidity.
“On the other hand, gold has kept its international standard and has held up on the open market, noted straightdope.com.
But despite the warnings, according to the traders in Bijoutire Jewellers, “We do some of our best business at Christmas. You get a lot of drunk people coming in buying gifts .
Bajocchi said, “The majority of my customers are professional women. There is a new middle class; women in business and women who hold important posts with multinationals. Today women buy their own jewellery with their own money.
Bajocchi has many exquisite pieces which are artfully displayed and not clustered together as so many jewellery shops tend to do. There are a number of galleries and in the workshop in the back, William, 73, the head of the workshop who, held Pietro Bajocchi when he was just a baby.
Bajocchi is the Chairman of the Italian Club, another family-friendly enterprise that proudly fosters Cairo’s Italian heritage.
Bajocchi is constantly updating his classic and neo-classic designs. Keeping up with international trends and fashions he travels regularly, having recently returned from trade fairs in Brazil, Hong Kong and Bangkok.
And believe it or not, just around the corner from Bajocchi’s jewellery shop is a Vespa scooter dealership. The Iranian made Italian icon goes for just LE 9,000 another bargain that might make some of the boys put down the remote control, because bikes really are a boy’s best friend.
Omar Farag worked as my interpreter on this story.
