With a growing number of Nepalese living in the UK, the Nepali diaspora community is taking a progressive step in the recent years with an increasing number of people opting to start their own businesses. Some Nepalese owned businesses have also become a success story with additional stores and an increasing global reach, this has worked tremendously in encouraging more to follow this path.
Sujit Shrestha and Ramesh Bishwakarma have joined forces, bringing their expertise and knowledge together to establish Kohinoor Jewellers in Reading, UK. The jewellery shop which opened its doors in the first week of August brings forth the rich Nepalese heritage and cultural influences to cater to the Nepalese community as well as an extended Asian and non-Asian population. The opening event saw community leaders, Councillor, media personnel to family, friends and residents living nearby.
Recognising the importance of social media, Kohinoor Jewellers has left no stones unturned to promote the brand on Facebook and engage with potential buyers through the popular medium. Kohinoor Jewellers has also rolled out an introductory offer with 15% off on Zayala (working charge) until the end of September. You can view a glimpse of the product range on Facebook but if you’re the imaginative one then you’ll be pleased to know that Kohinoor Jewellers can make your dream design.
I had a quick chat with the Kohinoor Jewellers team shortly after the grand opening in Reading. Enjoy the brief conversation.
“If you can dream a design, we can make it” – Kohinoor Jewellers
Firstly, why was the name Kohinoor picked, does it hold a certain significance and will you be selling Kohinoor too?
We chose the name Kohinoor because it signifies elegance and purity, and that is also what we have tried to embody in our flagship showroom. We also wanted our brand to go beyond the borders of the Nepalese community and be open for the Asian market. However, our products will always be first and foremost inspired by our rich Nepalese heritage and cultural influences.
Kohinoor offer fine Asian jewellery made from 24ct/22ct/18ct gold and Silver. We will also have a wide range of precious gemstone of varying grade and price range. As our brand name suggests, we will be offering our customers the option to buy fine jewellery with the finest Kohinoor sourced from all over the world. Additionally, our customers can book an appointment with our designer to create bespoke diamond engagement and wedding rings.
With several jewellery shops existing and opening in communities with sizable Nepalese population in recent times, will buyers experience anything new at Kohinoor Jewellers in Reading?
In recent years the Nepalese market in the UK has boomed with jewellery shops in almost every county. At Kohinoor, we celebrate and welcome this expansion as it reflects the growing strength of the Nepalese buyers and the economic development of the Nepalese community. By opening our flagship in Reading, we wanted to give the Nepalese community in the South East of England a huge choice of fine Jewellery in countless designs closer to home, so that they would not have to travel very far. We will also be providing secure online buying services to make it even easier for our customers.
We pride ourselves on our high quality products but more than that we value our customers. We believe in providing excellent customer service and friendly expert advice. We understand that buying gold jewellery is an investment, and we will do our best to give the best impartial advice and design ideas in a friendly professional environment.
We offer our customers high quality jewellery in the most competitive price. We are able to give very low prices on Zayala (labour charge) and Zarti (wastage) due to the fact that we do 70% of our ordered work in-house. Since we offer personalised services and honest advice, our customers can rely on us to provide quality product on time and with excellent finishing.
Kohinoor’s in-house production team is headed by an experienced master goldsmith with more than 15 years of experience, making Asian and Western jewellery in Nepal, Dubai and UK under his belt. If you can dream a design, we can make it.
Where will the gold be from? Will there be silver too; please share a range of items from jewelleries, coins to gold bars- that will be available at the store.
We make nearly 70% of our bespoke jewellery in-house in the UK, so our customer can rest assured that the gold will be pure 24ct gold (999.9) hallmark grade. The rest of our ready-made jewellery will be sourced from the most reputable gold houses in Hong Kong, Singapore and Brunei. With years of experience in the industry and detailed eye for excellence we test every single product from our suppliers to ensure the purity and quality of gold. We are constantly researching new markets and better suppliers so that our customers can enjoy the finest quality design jewellery at the lowest prices. We also sell silver jewellery ranging from baby’s bangles to decorative home wares.
We offer a wide range of Gold and Silver jewellery including Rani haar, Mangalsutra, Chokar, bangles, Jhumka, chains, rings, bracelets traditional items like Yarling, Tilari, Jantar madwadi and many more. We also offer raw hallmark 24ct gold in the form of gold coins and bullions.
Who are the people behind this new venture and where did the idea to start Kohinoor Jewellers come from?
Kohinoor is the joint vision of Sujit Shrestha and Ramesh Bishwakarma.
Sujit Shrestha is a young Nepalese entrepreneur who comes from a successful business orientated family. He has helped his family set up and run several businesses in UK namely Paper Duck Buffet, Ashford. With 10 years of experience in marketing and service industry, Sujit is the visionary behind the Kohinoor brand. He used his expertise in the business and in-depth knowledge of public need to create the guiding principles for Kohinoor, which is to elevate the Nepalese Jewellery industry in the UK to a different level and focus on customer service as well as the product. Blending traditional business rules with modern methods and marketing techniques, he aims to set Kohinoor apart by providing the customers a unique shopping experience.
The other half of Kohinoor is Ramesh Bishwakarma, who is an expert goldsmith and comes from a long line of ancestral jewellers. He has more than 15 years of experience, making Asian and Western jewellery in Nepal, Dubai and UK. He started learning the craft from a very young age working in his family’s Gold jewellery shop, Shree Om Treshakti Jewellers (Boudha, Ktm) and Shree Om Chhintangdevi jewellers in (Chabail, Ktm). His vast knowledge in the art of jewellery making as well as the industry has been passed down from generations. His skills are already well known and respected within the Nepalese jewellery community in UK. His customers have always valued him for his remarkable jewellery making skills as well as professionalism and punctuality.
With Kohinoor Jewellers opening earlier this month, what are the special introductory offers?
Kohinoor’s Opening day was a great success and we are absolutely humbled and grateful to everyone who came to support our shop. On opening day we had 15% off on Zayala (working charge), and we are rolling this discount on until the end of September.
As mentioned before, we offer very low charges on Zayala and Zarti throughout the year, not just during introduction. We will also have a loyalty scheme for our regular customers.
Additionally we will regularly do special offers on occasions, so please follow us on Facebook to keep updated with the latest deals as well as trends.
Few Items From Kohinoor Jewellers
