Three generations of...
Ananda Hemachandra, our visionary founder who established the first store in 1942, had a passion for fine jewellery, which stemmed from a childhood watching his father craft gold pieces in their family home in southern Sri Lanka. Independent and entrepreneurial, Ananda moved to Kandy, which at that time was home to a large community of British tea planters and their families. Charismatic and determined, he proudly held his own alongside the Kandyan elite, and Hemachandras soon became one of the most respected jewellery stores in the former hill kingdom.
Ananda Hemachandra, a master goldsmith himself, founded Hemachandras and opened our first shop on Trincomalee Street in Kandy.
From humble beginnings in the 1940s when Ananda adorned the Kandyan glitterati with intricate, jewel-encrusted pieces, our Company evolved under the creativity of his children. George and Thusitha alongside their brothers Upali and Keerthi, undertook the mammoth task of stepping into their father’s shoes. The brothers ingeniously steered the company to grow steadily, despite the unfavourable economic climate of war-torn Sri Lanka. With a move to Dalada Veediya in Kandy, they expanded the workshop and gave our master craftsmen the freedom to create timeless pieces of exceptional quality.
As the business grew, Hemachandras relocated to Dalada Veediya where we expanded the workshop and employed a team of master craftsmen.
Remaining faithful to the family legacy, today Hemachandras is managed by four of Ananda’s grandchildren under the expert guidance of Thusitha Hemachandra. Over generations, Hemachandras has evolved stylistically while still maintaining its deep cultural roots. Inspired to innovate and fuse the company’s rich Sri Lankan heritage with contemporary style, they hope to take Sri Lankan jewellery craftsmanship to new heights of style and luxury.
The third generation, grandchildren of Ananda Hemachandra, are passionate about combining the company’s unique Sri Lankan heritage with exciting new jewellery innovations.
