2/5/06: Ronna and Susie’s $2 Million Cleavage AKA Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend

For more than a week, Sunny had been instructing the Sinha Six to shop and learn, but not buy, until we reached the pink city of Jaipur. Allegedly, the best selection and deals were to be had in his native Rajasthan, but we suspect a bit of local macroeconomic self-interest. Assuming a marginal rate of consumption of .9 (a GDP multiplier of 10), we pumped up the Rajasthani economy by close to 12 million rupees in two days!!! As soon as we passed the rose-colored gates to the old city, the ka-chinging began. During a quick photo op across from the rose-hued Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), our whirlwind spending spree began in a small shoe shop, where Paul, Ronna, and Susie adorned their feet with the latest in Rajasthani fashion, but Cinderfella Kolsky’s metatarsals proved too big a challenge. As Susie (birthstone: diamond) duly noted, “The ice was broken,” and the acquisition of many ice cubes was imminent.

With the Maharaja’s imposing and charming residence looming large over the extensive City Palace grounds, Susie (as well as Anne, Laura and Ronna) continued her search for an Indian Prince. Meanwhile, the spectacular exhibitions of jewelry, textiles, and rugs at the City Palace whet our appetites for our pending visit to the much ballyhooed Gem Palace. Rick, whose interests are primarily culinary, was more impressed by a massive former King of Jaipur (and his two meter wide kurta), who tipped the scales at a hefty 250 kg, which, at Rick’s current inflation rate, will be achieved in two years. Our final pre-shopping stop was the Jaipur Observatory, a fascinating series of sundials commissioned two centuries ago by astronomer/Maharajah Jai Singh II. Impressed by the craftsmanship and accuracy of the sundials, we began thinking of Rolexes and other quality jewelry.

Next stop: the legendary Gem Palace, of Anita lore and patronage. The inventory was overwhelming, the owner surly, and the gold, silver, diamonds, and rubies sparkling and tempting. Under Sunny’s guidance, we escaped with merely a flesh wound on our wallets, a modest silver elephant for Lemo. However, we were expecting Joan Rivers and a red carpet to appear when MahaRonna and Silver Susie adorned their necks and chests with $1.2 million and $750K necklaces. Unfortunately, the owner refused to let them borrow the necklaces for the wedding (see February 8 entry).

Immediately following a quick pit stop for lunch back at the Oberoi, our intrepid shop warriors returned to the streets of Jaipur in search of the holy grail of priceless artifacts and clothing at reasonable prices. Their quest was quite successful, as they returned triumphantly to the Raj Vilas palace with a booty of priceless gems, sarees, silk shirts, jackets, dresses and carpets. And while five of the Sinha Six burned holes in their pocketbooks, Rick fiddled with his computer by the poolside at the Oberoi, catching up on the blog and 235 e-mails. Upon their early evening return, Sunny arranged a special exhibition of fine jewelry at wholesale prices (remember, five of the Sinha Six are Jewish). Amazingly, the merchant arrived with more than a hundred million rupees of inventory in his suitcase. One hour later, the bangle sisters (Ronna and Susie) were the proud owners of beautiful gold necklaces for significantly less than $2mm. All in all, a very productive day, and a significant boon to the Indian economy.