Ganeshi Lall Emporium

Ganeshi Lall & Son opened in Agra in 1845, dealing in Indian art, jewelry, and Zardozi embroidery, the ancient Mughal technique of hand-stitching gold and silver threads into fabric with precious stones. The firm became one of the first Indian businesses to establish showrooms across India and abroad, opening locations in Calcutta, Cairo, and New York. Inside the Agra emporium today: a miniature of Shah Jahan’s Peacock Throne, the world’s largest jeweled elephant displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1986, and a jeweled carpet that took a master craftsman 9.5 years to complete. The walls are covered in photographs of visiting dignitaries spanning two centuries, kings and queens and presidents who stopped by for custom work. Visitors are invited to watch artisans stitch in real time, served tea and samosas while the needle moves. One family business. 180 years of threads and stones.