Golden opportunities in Weweldeniya

Weweldeniya— “I started this because it was one thing I could do,” says Anil Susantha Dharmaraja, little over four feet tall, when asked what the inspiration behind his jewellery business is. The 29 year-old who lives in Botale, close to Warakapola is the owner of a locally thriving jewellery business.

“I have been working with jewellery for abut 15 years now,” he says, explaining that he worked for a long time under his uncle in Galewela before striking out on his own. Launching his own outfit, Dharmaraja started out by setting up a workshop in his own house, which now has four workers hammering, polishing and carving the jewellery into shape. The next step was his shop in nearby Weweldeniya an area famous for its cane products.

“Anil Gold House” works mainly with gold, silver and precious stones, he says, adding that they get some of these materials from a dealer in Colombo. The stones, which include diamonds, mother of pearl and some Ceylon stones are from a dealer in Nittambuwa who supplies them only with authentic gems.

His workshop is a small enclosure on the side of the house which holds the paraphernalia of the jewellery-making business.
Taking us through the process he shows how first, the gold is weighed then melted into a non-descript bar in a clay vessel held over a fire fuelled by wind-energy and ‘dahaiya’ or chaff. The melted gold is then rolled through a small machine that flattens it, making it easier to shape. Afterwards, the polishing, shaping and insetting of stones is done. The binding and fastening is done using Cadium technology which uses 22K gold instead of the usual method which uses gold-plated copper. “All the Gold jewellery we do is wholly 22K,” he says.

While most businessmen would think Colombo to be the supreme market opportunity, Dharmaraja says that he is satisfied with the local market. “Most of the people in this area come to me, some even come to the workshop,” he says, adding that he has a huge demand in Weweldeniya.

He admits that he doesn’t get much business from tourists but word of mouth has ensured that his business has travelled beyond national borders; a family member has ordered pieces of jewellery for relatives in Australia. With all this, going to Colombo would be problematic for him, he says. Most of the jewellers in Colombo would most likely pay him only a part of the fee up front and are liable to cheat him, issues he had to deal with when he was supplying to local shops before building his own.

While 1kg of gold suffices for the production needs of three months, the price of gold has been a barrier to their productivity. Currently, the price of a pound of gold (22k) is Rs. 27,000 and has been constantly fluctuating. The past 5-6 years has seen it rising from around Rs.10,000 to the current rate. “Most people place their orders and expect the goods to be delivered in about two months time. By that time, the price has risen by about Rs.1,000, and we can do nothing about it,” he complains. The business is also plagued by the machine-made jewellery that is imported by fellow jewellers, especially the jewellery from India. According to him, the machine-made products are almost Rs.8,000 less than the hand-made jewellery that he sells, but has less of intricacy and style. Nevertheless, they continue to be an obstacle. “Many people appreciate the beauty of the hand-made things because the machines’ product aren’t as elegant,” he insists.

The jewellery at Anil Gold House is far less pricey that those at the bigger jewellery houses in Colombo city today. Dharmaraja points out that this is mainly because the workers/manufacturing fee he adds to the price of the gold is less.

While the reputed jewellers add close to Rs.15,000 sometimes, Dharmaraja adds about Rs. 5,000 –Rs. 8,000. The jewellery showcased at the store range from earrings, chains and rings to the traditional jewellery of the Kandyan bride. “The designs we take from some catalogues we get and we too have some capabilities so we also design,” he says.