The war had caught the entire gem trade off balance. From 1939 until 1945, Colombian emerald rough could not be shipped out. In 1946, Khailshanker travelled to Colombia, and purchased the entire wartime production, then worth approximately 2 million dollars. This created ripples in international business circles, and also made the front page of the New York Times.
Now, Khailshanker set about processing the rough, and virtually every jeweller in the city became caught up in manufacturing Durlabhji emeralds. This coup of Khailshanker’s established, by 1946, the firm’s reputation of being the largest business house in emeralds in the world. The local emerald industry was launched – never to look back again. A colossus had arrived!
