28 years of making jewellery

Jewellery in Uganda is associated with class and is not by design that it is dominated by Indians.
Indians have a deep network that spreads to different outlets, many of which are managed by family members.
But one man who has defied the odds is Francis Kiwanuka. He makes jewellery and does not fear to deal in gold.
Born in a humble family, Kiwanuka loved hanging around rich friends, from where he mined a friendship with one of his father’s friends.
His father’s friend, Simon Ssengendo, then trained the young Kiwanuka how to repair and make jewellery from his workshop.
“My family was not rich. So I really liked associating with rich people. Being hardworking, I did a lot of housework at [Ssengendo’s] home, which prompted him to take me to his workshop where I helped with cleaning machines and other chores until he gave me an opportunity to learn handling jewellery,” he says.

After years of handling jewellery and training, Kiwanuka, then 20, decided to start his own workshop which he would call SF Kiwa Jewelleries.
However, being a capital intensive business, his opportunities were limited but stack on.
And the resilience has paid as Kiwanuka has built a network of business people who have kept his business going.

“I know very many people in this business so I can easily get gold, pay a deposit and finish payment later. Sometimes the customers when ordering pay up front or in deposits, which I use to buy my materials,” he says.
Kiwanuka, who is now 48 years, has been doing this business for 28 years and now owns a workshop that makes rings, necklaces, bangles and other forms of jewellery.
“I make them from scratch to finish. Most of my clients are people who want unique and custom made ornaments,” he says.
The jewellery business, he says, has evolved over the years with rising demand albeit at a slow rate.

Ordinarily, Kiwanuka mainly sells his products to an assortment of people, many of who are preparing to wed.
“Many of them come for rings,” he says as he pulls out a ring which he says is an engagement ring.
According to Kiwanuka, his biggest clients are middle aged men, who come to buy engagement and wedding rings.
“Those wedding come in pairs and it is mostly the women who make the choice,” he says.

Dealing in gold is risky as it is highly associated with fakes and violent crime.
However, Kiwanuka uses his experience to identify fake jewellery and mainly buys from trusted sources many of whom are in Busia, Mubende, Ibanda and Kabale.
However, he says, the high cost of gold is a challenge and makes it a high risk business.
Beyond this is the challenge of customers who order for jewellery but delay to pick it.

“I don’t want people delaying to pick jewellery they ordered,” he says, adding that it takes him a lot of trouble to keep them safe and in the event that he loses it, he has to find a way of replacing it.
“Some of it is customised. So when I lose it, it becomes difficult to make the same as the original,” he says.
The cheapest gold ring, for instance, costs Shs600,000 while the most expensive can go up to Shs100m depending on the percentage of gold input.
Kiwanuka says he has lived an average life through dealing in jewellery and has been able to put his children through school.
He hopes to form a synergy with a Chinese company that will open up a gold village in Uganda through which he will expand as well as invite other people to join the lucrative business.
As a startup business, Kiwanuka says, your biggest weapon must include building connections to gold dealers and suppliers.
However, you must also be vigilant to ensure that you are not duped by fake gold dealers.
“Don’t be robbed. Gold is expensive. So any money you lose will have a serious impact on your business,” he says.

How to identify fake gold
Kiwanuka explains that if you want to know genuine gold, you should subject it to different tests.
For instance, when a genuine gold ring is burnt with hot fire, it turns black, but when dipped in nitric acid, it will regain its shine.
While in the case of fake gold, once burnt, it remains black even after it is dipped in the acid. Silver on the other hand has an engraving on the inside with a number 925, accompanied by a varying number depending on the size, weight and design of the ring.
A caution to the public, Kiwanuka says, is that gold plaited jewellery is harmful to the skin and can cause cancer or irritation.
He says gold plaited jewellery is made to be used for short time but Ugandans tend to wear them for long.

Opportunity

If you are considering joining the business, you can become a broker, initiating contact between sellers and buyers.
You can also sell the finished products such as the case of a number of shops in and around Kampala.
In addition, washing the jewellery, for those that are losing their shine because of wear and tear is also lucrative. Pawning is also commonly used by people to get rid of old property. Pawning is the selling of second hand jewelry to a goldsmith or retailer who resells the rings.