My father was a jeweler who hailed from a line of pioneer Sri Lankan gem merchants  over a century old. My mother was the daughter of a planter, with high school  education and little  experience in the world of gems. Yet, when my father  suddenly fell ill ; it was my mother who stepped in and saved the day.  Our family’s fortunes  in her hands, with nothing beside the force of her will, she rose to the occasion and now the family’s name and fortune are her legacy - that of an individual who forged her place in a generation and world in which a woman was given almost no opportunity. I like to think I represent the best of both  my parents. 

 As the daughter of a conservative Sri Lankan family, I was not permitted to pursue the education I wanted - even with admission to the University of Ceylon. The only profession considered ‘safe for a girl’ was teaching, so that I began a career in that field.  Cheerfully,  I gave it my all. I received degrees in Speech & Drama (with Honors), began teaching at an international school in Colombo and made my peace with what I thought was my inevitable path.  As a teacher  of Speech and Drama I directed my high school students in  two musical plays for the general public that ran to packed full houses and encore performances. I was on a roll!

But life doesn’t always go as planned. 

In 1996 - due to my husband’s work - we unexpectedly had to migrate to Los Angeles.  With two young children in tow, my whole life was upended. I soon learned my teaching qualifications were not valid here. Sri Lanka is a deeply communal place - I come from a large interdependent family that took care of each other. But now, everyone I knew was on the other side of the globe. While my husband adjusted to a new job, I had to navigate the intricacies of a new country thrust into the role of housewife and acquiring new skills of cooking and housekeeping.

But I learnt  and adapted. Over the following 26  years, I made my new country my home. I raised my daughter and my son, and  joined my husband as he launched his consulting firm, where I ran the administrative and operational side of the company. 

While I am immensely proud of every role I carried - that of wife, mother, and partner - I couldn't help but think of all the young women in my community who, like me, were told that their sole destiny was to be wife and mother. I wanted to create something that was mine alone. 

So I chose to embrace the best of my family’s legacy to forge something entirely new. At long last I  began the College  education I had been denied.  I entered the Gemmological  Institute of America's colored stone program, where I discovered I had tenacity, persistence, and skill to graduate in colored stones, passing the 20 stones final, considered one of the toughest exams in the US. 

I am now qualified as a graduate of the GIA’s colored stone program, and I am pursuing my diploma in the Graduate Diamond program. With these tools, I am building my own business  ‘Color abundant, ' trading  in fine colored gemstones and bespoke jewelry from all over the world, as well as Gemological services to our international roster of clients. 

I look forward to serving you soon.