Hetti Veediya:

A paradise for jewellery

By Ananda Kannangara

According to legends Hetti Veediya, also known as Sea Street is the popular location for gold jewellery in Sri Lanka today. Hetti Veediya became popular after the arrival of Chettiars from South India during the colonial era. As Ceylon was a strategic location in the Indian Ocean, the Chettiars focussed attention towards commencing business activities here.

The legend also reveals that a group of Chettiars had come to the island during 1830’s. They had known nothing about Ceylon before they stepped into the country. The gondola on which they sailed from South India capsised in the mid sea due to a heavy storm. The tragedy occurred close to the island called Tambapanni. The island was also called the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. Thereafter, it was called Ceylon.

Soon after Chettiars arrived in the country, they realised that the island was an ideal place for business activities. They gradually moved into the country from the coastal belt to commence business activities.

Chettiars mostly used gold for their daily transactions. In addition they used copper and silver for their business transactions. This is how the gold jewellery industry originated at Hetti Veediya during the British rule in the country. Most gold jewellery shops at Hetti Veediya are today run by Chettiars. Some jewellery shop owners at Hetti Veediya are not even aware that their ancestors are from South India.

In addition to South Indian businessmen, some Sinhalese businessmen too run jewellery shops at Hetti Veediya. Many Chettiars are employed in these shops for the convenience of Tamil and Muslim customers.

The Sunday Observer visited Hetti Veediya to meet the owners of jewellery shops and jewellery manufactures to discuss about the traditional business. According to a jewellery shop owner, there are over 300 shops at Hetti Veediya and among them, Swarna Mahal Jewellers, Lalitha, Jaya Nithiyakalyani, Muthukaruppan Chettiar, New Kala Jewellers, Misuho, Ambiga Jewellers, Ravi Jewellers, Ganesha Devi and Star jewellers are some of the popular jewellery shops in the area.Other popular jewellery shops such as Hemachandra Jewellers, Bullion Exchange, Stone ‘N’ String, Visakamals, Pattakannus Jewellers, Unique Jewellers, Eden, Empire and Abdeen Jewellers are located within the city of Colombo.

Manager, Swarna Mahal Jewellers, Susantha Perera said the late E.A.P Edirisinghe was the founder of Swarna Mahal and in addition to their Head Office showroom at Kollupitiya, they have 15 branches including Kandy, Galle, Negombo, Ratnapura, Moratuwa, Matara, Kiribathgoda, Kalutara, Maharagama and Gampaha .

Manufacturing Silver jewellery	Selliah Mylvaganam	Susantha Perera

He said the present, Managing Director Jeewaka Edirisinghe has launched several programs to develop the jewellery industry and currently they manufacture various patterns of gold jewellery items according to the customer requirements.“We have both our showroom and workshop at Kollupitiya and a special team of trained workers are employed there,“ he said.

Perera said individuals cannot import gold. The Central Bank is authorised to import gold biscuits and coins. “But, we could import gold jewellery items such as chains, necklaces and bangles according to the latest fashions from Singapore, Dubai, South Africa and Saudi Arabia,”

According to Perera, eight grams of gold are equal to one sovereign a 24 kt (999.9 gold percentage) gold biscuit slab is 100 grams, while a gold coin contains 22 kt (916 gold percentage).

High valued jewellery items such as wedding rings, chains, bangles, necklaces , bracelets, ear rings, Panchaudas etc. could be manufactured only from gold biscuits by mixing copper and silver. Gold coins are used as pendants and gift items. Coins are not used to manufacture jewellery items. A resident of Kandy and the owner of New Kala Jewellery, Hetti Veediya, Selliah Mylvaganam said he has been in the jewellery business for the past 40 years.

He said the prices of gold depend on the world market prices. At present the value of one sovereign (22kt) is Rs. 47,000 and the price of jewellery items depends on the pattern of the items.

”Jewellery manufacturers cannot purchase gold from the Central bank. We have to buy them from Hatton National Bank, the Bank of Ceylon, Commercial Bank, Sampath Bank and the People’s Bank.

In addition, we also purchase used jewellery items from customers and melt them to manufacture new jewellery with latest patterns.

“He said unlike in the past only few customers visit our shops in Hetti Veediya due to lack of parking facilities,”

Mylvaganam has called upon authorities to setup more public offices such as a post-office and the passport office close to Hetti Veediya to attract more people to the area.He said the shifting of the Fish Market from Colombo to Peliyadgoda has affected the Jewellery business. An employee in a jewellery shop at Hetti Veediya, I. JayaKumar said in addition to gold jewellery , there is a great demand for silver jewellery. He said he has a workshop to manufacture silver jewellery.

N.M. Ramesh a jewellery shop owner, said in the recent past some people were buying gold jewellery items with the intention of selling them after few months at higher prices. “But many have stopped buying jewellery due to frequent price fluctuations in the world market”.“A gold sovereign which was Rs. 54,000 two months ago has dropped to Rs. 49,000. A jewellery shop owner, Sellahewa Arumugam said some shop owners at Hetti Veediya help poor people to redeem their jewellery from banks and, by purchasing them at higher prices.