HSJ is One of the Pioneers of Hallmarking in India – Ankur Anand

We meet Ankur Anand, Director, Harsahaimal Shiamlal Jewellers at his swank office in Gomti Nagar. Amidst a neatly setup workstation with the sounds of tenor sax at the background, the humility reflective of a five generation legacy talks volumes of the journey starting from a small U.P. hamlet.   With a rich legacy spanning over a century and 30 years, Harsahaimal Shiamlal Jewellers has been synonymous with exquisite designs, well-crafted jewellery, and high-quality materials. In his exclusive conversation with City Essence, he says it is sheer honest operation and commitment that has led to a phenomenal run spanning five generations. 

Tell us a little about your journey?

We are 130 plus years in the business. It was started by my grandfather's grandfather. I'm a 5th generation entrepreneur. With our original store in Badaun. A very small place. So, the mainstay of our business was purity and quality. It gave us a lot of clientele from around 150 to 200 km radius. As a group , we opened a store in Bareilly. Then another in Moradabad. And then we came towards Lucknow.  I have been in the business for the past 28 years. We also have the one of the first stores to have started hallmarking in the country. I came into the business in 1996.

Starting from Badaun. I have been instrumental in growing the business. Getting it all the way to Lucknow. Here there is a lot of competition. Despite that, we have been able to carve out a place for ourselves. As one of the leading leaders of the city. Mainly because of our quality, our craftsmanship, our commitments, our transparency.  Our biggest achievement has been getting the chance to make Bhagwan Ramlala's jewellery.

Which itself we got the opportunity not by any approach or anything. By being chosen by God Himself. Since there wasn't any, we did not know anybody.

There was no bidding or this. We also run a charitable college, Degree College in Badaun. Which has roughly around 7000 students.

And also, another school in one of the villages near Badaun. So, since we have been there for 5 generations, we have been actively involved in a lot of social work.

So, the trigger that led to the inception of HSJ?

That would be 5 generations old. What I've heard till now is the need to give the people a sense of security about their investment in Jewellery.  So, we have all the products are all hallmarked. They are all certified. With 100% buy-back guarantees. With a lot of clarity in the bidding process.

So, beyond Lucknow, Bareilly and Moradabad, any other expansion plans?

Yes. We plan to expand further into Eastern UP. Then NCR. And then, of course, we want to go national. Which we are working towards.

So, any targets that you have in mind? 

In the next 5 years, to come up with a minimum of 20 stores.

Any challenges that you see?

Not as such.

Going national from the regional space to national?

I don't think it's a challenge. Because everybody has their own niche. Their own space. .And of course, by being God's chosen jeweler. We have an advantage in that.

 So, how do you sum up the 130 plus years and 5 generation legacy in terms of the legacy value ?

In terms of gaining success, in Lucknow, which is a city with a lot of competition, with a lot of presence of big jewelers as well as international brands. We managed to carve out a niche for ourselves. That itself talks about the legacy. Apart from the fact that in Western U.P, there is no brand that matches our commitment and quality.

So, 14 handcrafted precious gold jewellery that you have made for Lord Ram. So, how can this in your words, immortalise the brand?

The making of the Lord of the Ram temple itself marks a new beginning for Hinduism. And having earned or having been blessed by being a part of that history and that journey, HSJ is now a part of our history.

So, how important are celebrities to the greater outreach of your brand?

Our celebrities are important. We did a few press interviews with celebrities. We did planning with a few TV celebs. We did a lot of celebrity media things like Viral Biyani and Bollywood.. There was a lot of interaction.

So, any future association that you have in mind? With any celebrity that you have in mind?

Not yet, yes, but we are looking at a brand ambassador.

So, how would you describe your range that you offer to the market?

Unlike any other good national level brand, but with a better finish and a better sense of design. And we are very well equipped to the tastes and likings of the Gen Z or the new generation.

We are in a position to cater to every kind of person in the city. Right from anybody from the middle class to the elite.

So, any offerings that you would like to highlight?

We are doing a new jewellery like the Ram Lada series jewellery. Taking inspiration from his trousseau that he made. We have been getting fantastic response for it.

For the local populace?

For the local populace, yes. We have a lot of gold jewellery and lightweight gold jewellery as well as baggy jewellery. We are also  more or less a 360 degrees service provider.

We also deal in silver ornaments, silver utensils as well as gemstones, birthstones, for astrology. So, it's basically a one-stop store for everyone.

So, somewhere you said that you create jewellery that has a heritage value. So, how do you explain your USP to that?

 For us, the first thing we do when a client comes in to buy jewellery for their marriage or for their children. So, for us it is more important to build their trust that we are giving them the right decision for everything that they buy.

And our focus is more to work as an advisor by helping the client and guiding them with the right approach to buy the kind of jewellery that will last them for generations. Something which none of the jewellers do.  Money doesn't matter. What matters is the relation and the trust. That goes a long way. That's why probably we survived five generations. You won't see too many jewellers who are 5 generations old. Finding businesses as such.

So, how do you pick your artisans and how do you maintain your loyal fan base?

 For artisans, we also have artisans who have been working with us for a minimum of 2 generations. And in our factory set ups we have those same people working with us. And we as a part of the family take the responsibility of the well being as well as the well being of the children.

As well as well being of the families. And of course, the best thing in an artisan is like any other person having connected with you. Everybody has a sixth sense of how honest or how true the other person is. And that is what keeps them also tied to you.

Personalized service and enduring client relationships. So, how is HSJ making that possible?

We have a very strong customer redressal system in the sense that it is not just for sales that we call clients. We, our staff sales team basically keeps calling up the client in the middle to wish them on their special days if any client is going through any problem like a lot of things happened during COVID to provide a lot of emotional support. What I have seen is each client gets attached to some or the other employee in the organisation.  Something that we nurture.

Your message to those looking for a good brand to buy their precious assets from?

While selling everything is very good. But, clients should be very careful on understanding the buyback policies on any dealer. This is the only aspect that will give them a sense of trust while purchasing a product, they should observe if the dealer is taking the effort to explain to them all the aspects of certification and hallmarking.