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In vogue with tradition and modernity
By Ayesha Inoon
Vogue Jewellers was founded in 1962 by Sarath Hemachandra who used his inborn talent and creativity to build this enterprise. Always a trendsetter in the fashions and styles of jewellery, they have now the added distinction of becoming the first jewellers in the industry to receive the ISO 9001:2000 certification.

The company which started as a small establishment with limited staff in Pettah was soon moved to the residential area of Colpetty and now has over 350 employees, over 200 of whom are craftsmen.

“A great deal of the company’s success must be attributed to its staff,” says Director Vogue Jewellers Nandadeva Perera, adding that there is a mutually beneficial relationship and respect that prevails amongst the team at Vogue.
Testimony to this is Mr.M.B. Bentis, a jewellery craftsman who has been with the company since its inception.

Drawn to this traditional craft at a young age, he first came to Colombo from his home town in Matara and joined Vogue as a trainee. In the years he has spent in this profession he has seen many changes and developments take place. In the beginning everything was done by hand, he says, and it took a lot of dedication and love to create a perfect piece of jewellery.

Today, with all the machinery and equipment there is much less effort needed. The demand for jewellery is much higher than it was in the past, and new technologies have helped to meet this demand by accelerating production.
Still, there are a few items that have not changed and are still in demand today such as the cluster ring, filigree earrings and rings with carvings.

Production Manager Nandana Munasinghe says their modern workshop with over 50 in-house craftsmen has been equipped with the best of contemporary technology. For example, the traditional method of analyzing gold by rubbing it on the ‘uragala’ has been replaced by the gold analyzing machine of which Sri Lanka has just a few. Another piece of equipment is the magnetic tumbler which polishes even the hidden and unreachable crevices in jewellery.

To receive the ISO certification a company must meet certain requirements, says Kalyani Karunaratne, Vogue Jewellers Management Representative for the ISO. They should have management responsibility, such as having a mission statement for quality and certain objectives such as aiming to reduce the customer complaints to less than 5%. Another factor is product realization, for instance, Vogue’s validating both the product and the design to the customer.
Vogue Jewellers currently has branches in Nugegoda, Kandy, Negombo and Kurunegala, as well as an international branch in the Maldives.

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