Chairman's Message

It is with great pleasure that I introduce Zam Gems, the market leader for Sri Lankan gemstones and jewelry. Since my humble beginnings in 1976 as a wholesale gem merchant, I have seen Zam Gems grow exponentially into a well-established multi-national brand name with a strong and expanding customer base.

Our commitment to sourcing and delivering the finest of Sri Lanka’s famed gemstones and jewelry to our customers as well as our dedication to customer satisfaction in all aspects of our business has built us a sterling reputation, both locally and internationally, and explains our stunning growth to become Sri Lanka’s market leader for gems and jewelry. In Sri Lanka, we hold a strong position in the gemstone and jewelry industry, with 15 established up-market retail outlets around the Island in all major luxury hotels and prominent locations. We hope to rapidly expand this network further to capture more of Sri Lanka’s growing potential and deliver more of our fine products to many more satisfied customers in the future.

ZAM GEMS: A Story based on Honesty & Integrity

ZAM GEMS had very humble beginnings as a sole proprietorship in the 1970’s, when Chairman Z. A. M. M. Refai (or ZAM, as he is known in the industry) started conducting business by visiting the hotel rooms of guests in Sri Lanka, who were interested in viewing and purchasing the famous Ceylonese gemstones they had heard much about. He eventually established himself by opening an outlet called ‘El Dorado’ at the Macan Markar arcade in Galle Face in 1972. This small boutique grew into ZAM GEMS’ with the opening of the Head Office showroom in Colombo in 1976. ZAM Refai had managed to win over many of the international guests with his fine gemstones as well as his exemplary reputation for honesty and business ethics, building an international network of business contacts and lifelong friends. This reputation in a trade built on the cornerstones of trust, honesty and relationships was instrumental in the rapid rise of ZAM GEMS.

ZAM Gems is synonymous with the very best of gemstones mined in Sri Lanka and is one of the leading exporters of precious stones and jewelry in the country. ZAM Gems has enjoyed tremendous success in over 45 years of business, due to the commitment to sourcing a variety of the finest gemstones Sri Lanka has to offer and combining them with skilled artisan design and workmanship to create exquisite pieces of jewelry.

Today, ZAM Gems is a proud generative Ceylonese brand with a strong customer base from around the world, from gem connoisseurs and jewelry enthusiasts in Japan to China to the United States and Europe. We Welcome you to be apart of the ZAM Family, where we would be delighted for you to see for yourselves the glistening gemstones and jewelry put together across our showrooms by our true gems – OUR EMPLOYEES.

History: The Masterminds behind The Masterpiece

The success of ZAM Gems in the local industry was both phenomenal and unprecedented. ZAM Refai capitalised and succeeded well in the gemstones sourced and produced in Sri Lanka, while his ever-passionate son, Ahsan Refai (Managing Director of ZAM Gems) quickly expanded the spectrum from selling loose gemstones to designing and creating jewelry inlaid with fine Ceylonese gemstones. Historically, Sri Lanka’s fine gemstones were often exported to leading names in the international jewelry industry to be used as raw materials in their jewelry manufacturing processes.

The now Chairman had a vision to rewrite this process by adding value to the local gem industry. He aimed to manufacture and selling their own brand of local Sri Lankan jewelry, establishing Sri Lanka as a source not just for fine gemstones, but parallelly for high quality jewelry and workmanship. Soon, their exemplary reputation for producing fine jewelry, coupled with unwavering consumer trust, gained them access to a lucrative niche market comprising foreign visitors and locals seeking high-quality Sri Lankan jewelry products. ZAM Gems had firmly established itself as the pioneer and leader in the Sri Lankan jewelry industry. They opened retail showrooms in all of Colombo’s major five-star hotels, the airport and shopping malls in Colombo, bearing testament to their company goal: “Once a customer, always a customer.”

Our sales staff are rigorously trained in various fields such as gemology, jewelry production, and foreign languages and in upholding high professional standards to confidently guide customers through the purchasing process and deliver the best possible shopping experience tailored to each individual guest. To guarantee the best customer service experience for our guests, our dedicated Zam Gems Guest Relations team is quick and easy to reach, and is happy to assist with any inquiries, comments, and suggestions, as well as with after-sales service.

Current Showrooms