R.M. Shah Ltd, a family-run business in London’s historic jewellery quarter, Hatton Garden, has built a reputation as one of the UK’s foremost authorities on coloured gemstones. The company’s owner, Nilesh Shah, reflects on six decades in the trade, which started with a love for emeralds.
Nilesh Shah has a deep knowledge of coloured gemstones, gained from a lifetime of experience. He knows the story behind every coloured gemstone he supplies, having built direct sourcing relationships with mines and cutters around the world.
Early Beginnings
The company’s story began with founder Ramanlal Shah, who arrived in London from Mumbai in 1956. He was a pioneer in Hatton Garden, and his work ethic as a reliable broker and supplier became well known and well loved.
Ramanlal Shah‘s first sourcing trip was to the Sakota mine in Bahia, Brazil, followed by many more around the world. He dealt in rough from Brazil, Colombia, Zambia, and Kenya, among others, forging trusted partnerships with mines and cutters that R.M. Shah still partners with today.
A Family Business
Nilesh Shah joined the business in the 1980s, working with his father to build on the foundations they had established. Together, they bought rough and cut a growing range of stones, supplying Jaipur and other leading cutting centres.
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Their gems reached beyond the Hatton Garden and UK trade to the fine-jewellery houses of Paris, Geneva, and New York. As the supply of rough shifted to an auction model, Nilesh Shah adapted the business and began consulting clients on the best gemstones to source, helping them work through the ever changing market.
Expanding the Business
Today, R.M. Shah serves the full breadth of the trade, from fashion houses to fellow dealers. The company’s stones have been set into bespoke and Art Deco commissions, and into the faces and casings of one-of-a-kind timepieces, featuring in work for some of the most celebrated names in fine jewellery.
R.M. Shah is one of only a handful of houses in London to stock exquisitely carved gemstones, a true specialty. Since 2001, the company has exhibited its beautiful gems at trade shows around the world; most recently the 2026 Tucson Gem Show.
Nilesh Shah continues to source each piece responsibly and with diligence, whether commercial or fine-grade, from the traditional gemstone to rose-cut, briolette, and previously owned old-cut diamonds. With its mine-to-market ethos, deep knowledge, and prompt, honest, and reliable service, R.M. Shah stands out in the trade for its exceptional ability to source remarkable gemstones from around the world.
As Nilesh Shah reflects on the journey of a rough stone to a polished gem, he says, “Few things are as rewarding as watching the journey from a rough stone we’ve sourced, to a polished gem, to a work of art in a master jeweller’s hands. We’re fortunate to work with such natural beauty, every day.”
