Producer Profiles > Nepal Handmade Silver Jewellery Workshop

Producer Profiles

Nepal Handmade Silver Jewellery Workshop

The Nepal Handmade Silver Jewellery Workshop was formed in 2002 by Damodar K C who had more than 15 years work experience in the jewellery making business. Prior to the involvement of Mysmallshop Ltd in 2007 the small jewellery workshop was not able to comply to international fair trade standards because the workers were earning very low wages and working very long hours due to the low level of demand for their product in the competitive Nepalese market.

There are currently 4 producers working at the workshop and they are aged between 18-42. They are all very talented jewellery makers and all can produce rings, earrings, pendants and necklaces etc

The jewellery workshop is managed by Mysmallhelp volunteer Pramila K.C. and her family. The owners of the business do not own the workshop or the house that they live in and therefore they have to pay the overheads for renting the building as well as paying their workers.

Before Mysmallshop was involved in helping to develop this workshop the owners could not afford to buy silver and gems themselves so they were given the silver and the gems from the rich shops in Thamel (centre of Kathmandu). They would then take away the silver and gems and return a finished product to the shop in exchange for payment for their labour.

Mysmallshop Ltd UK decided to promote the jewellery of the Nepal Handmade Silver Jewellery workshop in the UK because they feel that the workers were overworked and underpaid and the workshop owners could not afford to improve their conditions without reaching an international market. Mysmallshop also wanted to help Pramila and her family as Pramila was not being paid for her work helping poor and underpriveliged children through the charity Mysmallhelp.

Leander Hollings, Director of Mysmallshop LTD in the UK spent time at the Nepal Handmade Jewellery Workshop learning about the process and time needed to make each item and style of jewellery in the Nepal Handmade jewellery range and understood that the factory would receive an average of 50 rupees for a bracelet which takes 8 hours to make. The factory owners would keep 10 rupees for their family and would give 40 rupees back per bracelet to the workers. This works out at an average 3p an hour for their work... These workers needed to work 14 hours a day 7 days a week to be able to afford to survive on rice and lentils.

Mysmallshop Ltd, is now paying for the silver and the gems which are bought by Pramila at a registered Nepal 925 silver dealer and adding 30p per hour for the labour costs for each item as well as 20% profit for the factory after all costs are paid in Nepal. This hourly rate was determined by research in the local market, speaking to other Fair

SURESH LAMA
Suresh Lama is 18 years old he lives with the family that own the Nepal Handmade silver jewellery workshop. He is given all food and accommodation at their home.
Suresh is a very honest and hard working boy. He can make all kinds of designs. His working motto is to work slowly but carefully to produce the best quality product possible. He has been working at the Nepal Handmade silver jewellery workshop for 3 years. In his family there are 6 members . 3 brothers, 1 sister and his parents. His elder brother is also a jewellery maker. Now that Mysmallshop is buying silver jewellery from NHSJW Suresh is earning 30p an hour in comparison with the previous 3p an hour and he is working for 8 hours a day 6 days a week instead of 14 hours a day 7 days a week. He is very happy working for Mysmallshop and he hopes that we will be able to employ him for a long time and continue to improve his working conditions and salary.

ARJUN KHULAL
Arjun Khulal is 40 years old and he is the oldest producer at NHSJWS. He has 10 years experience working in this field. He is married and has 4 children. His 6 member of family survive through his work.

Arjun is experienced and works quite quickly so he his paid for the pieces which he makes and he earns approximately 10,000 rupees per month..

Arjun lives in the country side but he does not travel daily for work, he rents a room in the same house as the factory. He is really happy for exporting the product to UK because he says in his words if this business goes like this way he sees his future bright working in this profession.