Life style
Bringing dreams to life!
by Zanita Careem
Q: When did you first realise you wanted to pursue a career as a jewellery designer?
A:
I am an economics graduate and never really thought of diving into the jewellery business. However, I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. My parents were in the gem trade and I self-learned the different qualities of sapphires. We export superior, high-quality sapphires to the west, and I wanted to make these sapphires available to the locals – in the hope of designing their dream jewellery using these world-class gemstones. Thus, Aaraa and Aati was founded 4 years ago.
Q: Who are your biggest mentors in this industry and what is the best advice they have ever given you?
A:
There have been many people who have helped me along the way and I am incredibly thankful for their support. But if I was to name an industry-level mentor, it would be none other than Naleem Hajjiar – with whom I had the fortune of spending some time during my childhood.
My Dad and Uncle regularly associated with Naleem Hajjiar and used to tell me loads of stories about him and about their experiences with him. I recall this one instance when I visited his house – he looked me in the eyes and said that there was something about me. And that has remained in my mind ever since! I always aspired to be like him! His high standard of ethics, honesty and integrity is something that I’ve always wanted to imitate. And I think that the best advice I’ve ever received from my mentors is to be honest in the trade; be ethical and make the customer your king.
Q: What was your biggest fear when starting a new jewellery piece to a customer?
A:
Working with very high standards, the biggest challenge is to match reality with the concept given to us. Since we specialise in highly curated jewellery, it’s sometimes very challenging to bring someone’s dreams to life. But that is what makes us different, and that’s a challenge that we have been taking and have been successful in doing so.
Q: Have you ever dealt with a difficult customer?
A:
Since we specialise in high-end, highly curated jewellery, every customer is aware of our standards and quality. It’s always lovely to work with the customers. The only difficulty we might face is in terms of their clarity i.e. if they aren’t aware of what they want for themselves. But that’s quite rare with our clientele.
Q: Who would you most likely see wearing your jewellery?
A:
Our services are of the highest quality with the best value for money. Even on that level of standard, our products are very affordable. Our products are usually worn by married couples, corporate leaders, and mature jewellery masterpiece collectors.
Q: What are your unique designs? Where did you get your inspiration from?
A:
We do not have readymade jewellery in the high-end category because we only focus on customised ones. But we have introduced a value-for-money collection called the Surf collection which features unique pendants using seashells. We have incorporated a sapphire – from the middle of the earth – within a sea shell – from the middle of the sea – and that, I believe, is really unique.
The inspiration behind the Surf collection was Sri Lanka and tourism because we are a lovely island with world-class beaches and I absolutely love the sun, sea and sand. Therefore, I wanted to create something for all the beach lovers out there.
Q: Which piece are you most proud of? Can you tell the story behind it?
A:
The seashell pendants are what I am most proud of because it is unique – bringing two worlds together. Interestingly, the idea struck me when I was on holiday with my family in the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Walking along the beautiful beach, I noticed the lovely sea shells around me and was inspired to create beautiful jewellery with it. Adding sapphires to these gorgeous creations of nature make it even more special and rare.
Q: What qualities do you look for in the perfect pieces of jewellery?
A:
It has to be handcrafted to the highest quality because there are machine-made goods that are selling for cheap. I’ve always appreciated handmade jewellery because it has the human touch. The rarity of the gemstone that goes in to your jewellery is another quality to look for. At Aaraa & Aati, all our high-end jewellery are handmade, and the gemstones are of international standard. Unlike most others, we do not try to save weight in a gemstone. Instead, our gemstones are well cut to bring out their spark.
Q: What’s your favourite piece of jewellery that you’ve made before and why?
A:
Although we specialise in engagement rings, I have loved to make earrings with high quality gemstones – for the very reason that you need to find 2 pieces of gemstone similar in look and weight. And that’s pretty rare because gemstones are naturally occurring.
Q: What challenges do you face in your work?
A:
One of the challenges that we face as an industry is getting high quality jewellery boxes manufactured in Sri Lanka. Not having a perfect box to showcase your jewellery after having done everything else perfectly is quite discouraging. I’m yet to find a high-quality, jewellery box producer. So if anyone reading this knows of someone who can be a perfect fit, please get in touch.
Another issue is that Sri Lanka does not position its gem and jewellery industry the way that other countries like Australia do. Australia has done an incredible job to promote its industry as ethical sourcing mines. Sri Lankan mines are ethical too but why aren’t we promoting it? We have to start collaborating with good PR firms to position our country as a source of ethical gemstone mining and trading. And that should be done immediately.
Q: Why only teal sapphire?
A:
We deal in all kinds of sapphires but have been primarily exporting Teal to our customers. In my opinion, there are only 2 variants of sapphires where two colours mix well. One is the Padparadscha sapphire – a mixture of orange and pink, and the other is the Teal sapphire – a mixture of green and blue. No other two-coloured gemstone looks as good.
Q: Do u have more clients who choose teal sapphires?
A:
Internationally, the teal sapphire is a huge trend. In Sri Lanka, the younger generation is increasingly opting for newer colours, having become bored of diamonds and blue sapphires. Thus, I see an upward trend in demand for teal sapphires in the future locally as well.
Institute of Hospitality Sri Lanka
The 32nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the UK-based Institute of Hospitality’s Sri Lanka Chapter was held recently at the Ramada Hotel Colombo,.The event provided an evening of camaraderie , reflection of the past and present achievements,setting new benchmarks for the future
The AGM had the presence of two distinguished guests, the Chief Guest Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, and the Guest of Honour British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick. Their inspiring speeches were lauded by all hoteliers who were present at the occasion
A special thanks was extended to Robert Richardson, CEO of the Institute of Hospitality UK, along with his team, sponsors, committee members, and all attendees for making the event memorable.
Dr. Harsha Jayasingh, Past President of the Institute of Hospitality (UK) Sri Lanka Chapter, emphasised the Institute’s longstanding history and the strength of its Sri Lankan branch. “The Institute of Hospitality (IH) UK has a history of 86 years, and we are proud to be the Sri Lanka Branch. IH Sri Lanka is much stronger now with many members from all areas of the hospitality industry,” he stated.
Dr. Jayasingh highlighted the significant role of tourism in Sri Lanka’s economy,. He said tourism it is the third-largest source of revenue for the country. “Tourism accounts for about 13.3% of total foreign exchange earnings and employs 450,000 people directly and indirectly. The hospitality industry in this island of pearl holds tremendous potential for economic growth, job creations, and cultural exchange,” he added.
He also pointed out more women should be attracted to the industry and advocated for the use of technology in hospitality sector to attract the younger generation.
The newly appointed Chairman Ramesh Dassanayake spoke about the challenges faced by the industry, including the reluctance of youth to join the sector. . Dassanayake expressed concerns over the migration of staff between hotels and the overall ‘brain drain’ in the sector. ” We must maintain high standards in the hotel We must try to attract tourists to Sri Lanka, we must have with many facilities Hence, hotel schools and other professional institutions involved in skills development mustincrease their intakes,” he pointed out.
Chief Guest Sajith Premadasa emphasised the importance of eco tourism and said “We need to have an environmental policy related to tourism in place,” . .
The 32nd AGM of the Institute of Hospitality UK, Sri Lanka Chapter, was a testament to the strength and potential of Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry. The insights and commitments shared during the event set a new benchmark for the future.(ZC)
Pix by Thushara Attapathu
Life style
He recognizes human identity beyond boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
Visit of Sri Gurudev to Sri Lanka
Humanitarian, spiritual leader and Global Ambassador of Peace Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Sri Gurudev) was in Sri Lanka on a three day tour on the invitation of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dinesh Gunewardene. Gurudev who inspired a wave of volunteerism and service to moot one of the largest volunteer-based organisations in the world – The Art of Living – visited the various projects under the aegis of the foundation and launched twelve vocational and technical centers around the island. He was accompanied by thousands of followers from Sri Lanka and around the world.
Gurudev who visited Sri Lanka for the sixth time also had a first day cover launched in honour of his visit. He is a strong proponent of spreading happiness, using the unique Sudarshan Kriya, yoga, meditation and practical wisdom to unite people, empower individuals and transform communities. His programmes provide techniques and tools to live a deeper, more joyous life, while his non-profit organisations recognize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
The Art of Living which has more than 30,000 teachers and over one million volunteers across 180 countries has touched in excess of five hundred million people around the world. CNN called it “Life Changing” and The Washington Post headlined it, “Fresh air to millions”.
In Trincomalee, Gurudev met with war victims and had a heartwarming engagement with the children from the children’s homes run by the Foundation. He also visited the Koneswara Temple in Trincomalee and graced the Kumbhabhishekam at Seetha ecogPnize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion. Amman temple at Nuwara Eliya. He held discussions with the trustees on the progress of the foundation’s social service projects, while also holding a special event – Ekamuthuwa – attended by a large number of dignitaries and his devotees from around the world.
His time with the Prime Minister was spent discussing the prospects of unity in diversity and uniting Sri Lanka by adding happiness into the formula of living. In addition he had discussions with the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, prominent business stewards and civil society leaders.
by Zanita Careem
Envison your dream wedding day come to life at the Epitome Hotel, a prestigious city hotel in Kurunegala offering an unrivalled luxury rendors experience for weddings.
The venue is designed to embody opulence and luxury from all quarters for a spectacular wedding in kurunegala,Thier ballroom is the largest banquet facility in Sri Lanka It can be divided into six luxurious pillarless wedding halls on the ground floor and 25pax smaller banquet halls.
It can be easily named as a five star heaven in the heart of the city contributing to a myriad of immense experiences tailored to inspire and delight wedding experiences.
From opulent décor set up to exquisite table decor, lavish food, every detail is meticulously curated to spark your imagination and ignite creativity for a perfect wedding. The previous prestigious wedding shows season one and season two attracted large crowds
were unique events which gave the wedding vendors and potential clients had an opportunity to connect and interact with each other. Beyond being a showcase it was a chance for the wedding vendors to unite and contribute to the vibrancy of the wedding industry. The wedding show covered all area of the bridal industry providing a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became the most popular bridal exhibitions in Kurunegala.This bridal exhibitions allowed brides and grooms to experience first hand the products and services available from suppliers in Sri Lanka
These wedding shows held at The Epitome created a benchmark and gave an opportunity for vendors to create connections to the utmost satisfaction said Harshan Lakshita Executive Director. of the magnificent Hotel
Our wedding shows featured experts and professionals in every field‘ It covered all areas of the bridal industry provided a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became most popular bridal exhibition in this region.We are always open to everyone to join us at our wedding shows in the future. It is an opportunity to discover the incredible talent within our local wedding and bridal vendors to make meaningful relationships and plan thier special day at our breathtaking hotel The Epitome said General Manager Kavinda Caldera
The Epitome Hotel’s bridal show which will be held end of June will buzz with great ideas,advice and inspiration for all those who plan thier dream wedding
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The Hotel Epitome’s Wedding Season 3 will marked excellence, celebration and inspiration for those in the wedding industry. The exhibition halls will resonate with ideas on exquisite bridal wear to decor, florists , photography etc and showshowcase the rich tapestry of talent within the local wedding industry. .
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