A gem sparkles in the Central Province

GEM BUSINESS: Starting her career as a small time entrepreneur, she has been able to reach the top in her business achieving many goals in life. Managing Director of Heshani Gems and Jewellery in Gohagoda, Kandy Kumudini Weerasekera, started gem cutting and polishing in a small way in 1989 at a time when only a few women contributed to the industry.

Having a keen interest in the subject, the determination to improve her professional background made her join the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority to follow a course on gem lapidary despite objections from her family.

She completed the course in one and half years and joined a company in Maharagama to gain working experience.

Having come up with the idea of commencing her own business, she purchased a gem cutting machine. It was a time, the lapidary industry had failed due to the lack of trained people.

While engaged in gem lapidary with many private orders, she started to train people in her place at Pepiliyana.

She was able to provide 25 trained lapidarists to private companies.

With the high demand for her cut and polished stones, she registered the company as Heshani Gems and Jewellery in 1990.

In 1992, she married K. W. M. Tikiribanda who worked with her.

After the marriage, she shifted the business to Kandy which is her husband's birth place. Her dedication and planning made her successful in her business as well as training in Kandy, too.

In 1992, she was selected the best woman entrepreneur of the Central province, at the competition which was organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

She started to work with the Women's Affairs Ministry and the Human of the Central Provicial Council to conduct gem lapidary courses in each divisional secretariat in the province from 2001 to 2003.

She said a gem lapidary is a good income-generating avenue as a home based business.

It is a suitable job for women and she is very keen on helping new comers to the industry.

She faced many difficulties at the beginning when she was purchasing gems for the cut and polish process. There are special gem fairs, which are held weekly in Ratnapura, and she used to go there for gem purchasing. It was a bad experience because women were not involved in this type of dealings at the time. 'Earlier they refused to give gems and gradually it changed and now they bring me gems," she said.

She has been involved in making jewellery in 1999 with the huge request from her customers. "They expect me to involve in this on the preparations of the high quality and value added jewelleries." She said that she had a problem to find the market for her created jewelleries at the beginning.

She has visited many jewellery shops to sell her products. Eventhough there were many disappointments, she was never discouraged.'Gradually they recognised my creativity and paid me well.

The result was many orders received and the demand for my jewellery," she said. She provides all types of silver and gold jewellery including Kandyan and Western sets, which are displayed at her showroom in Kandy. There is a big demand for Heshani gift items from foreigners as well. She said that 25 well-trained people work under her on sub contracts.

They do lapidary and jewellery making in their homes using Kumudini's raw material.

"I collect finished products weekly by paying for their creativity and quality. She said if somebody has talent, dedication and satisfaction for work, they can survive in the industry.

Entrepreneurs should use new trends in the modern market by using latest technology without imitating others. She gains updated knowledge by reading journals, and by directly talking to customers. She participates in gem and jewellery fairs to gain new ideas and opinions of customers.

She was elected the best entrepreneur of Central Province by the CCC in 2001.

The Women's Chamber of Industry and Commerce awarded her the silver medal at the Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2002 under the small category.

She hopes to expand her showrooms to Colombo, Galle and Kandy. She is a past pupil of Mahamaya Balika Vidyalaya, Nugegoda.