EST. 1986 · DILLIBAZAR · KATHMANDU
Our Heritage Crafted Through
Generations
A house that measures time in generations, not seasons. Hallmarked gold, hand-finished pieces, and a single rule that has never changed.
a house, not a brand
A house that measures time in generations.
Kankai began in 1986 as a two-room atelier in Dillibazar, founded by a goldsmith who believed that a wedding set should outlast the wedding. He had no signage, no website, and a three-kilogram inheritance of legacy gold that had been in his wife's family for four generations.
He had one rule: weigh the gold in front of the customer. Always.
Forty years later, the rule has not changed. The bench has been joined by six more, the gold now arrives with paper trails, and the customer still watches the scale.
The atelier is small, by design. We do not advertise. We do not sell to walk-ins. Every piece is made for someone we have met, in a city we love, by a family that intends to be here for the next forty years.
four generations, one bench
A Quiet Timeline
The First Bench
Hari Prasad Sapkota opens a two-room goldsmith's bench in Dillibazar with three kilograms of inheritance gold and a single rule: weigh the metal in front of the customer.
The Atelier
The bench grows into Kankai Jewellers. Hallmarking becomes compulsory. The first bridal studio opens, candlelit for the women who will wear the heirlooms.
The Diamond Wing
A second-generation stone-sourcing arm opens in Antwerp. Each diamond arrives with a paper trail mine, cutter, setter, bench.
A New Chapter
Lusan Sapkota returns from Antwerp to take the bench. The rule has not changed. The gold is still weighed in front of you.
what we will not compromise
Four Vows
Honest Weight
We weigh every gram in front of you. No re-weighing in the back room. No approximations ever.
Slow Craft
A single bridal set takes 320 hours. We do not rush what will be worn for a lifetime.
Traceable Gold
Every gram is documented from mine, to refiner, to bench. The paper trail is yours to keep.
Lifetime Buyback
We buy back any Kankai piece at fair market rate, any year, any generation. Forever.
the hands behind the bench
The Family
Lusan Sapkota
FOUNDER · SECOND GENERATION
Mira Shrestha
SENIOR BENCH JEWELLER
Arjun Karki
DIAMOND & STONE SOURCING
Sita Lama
BRIDAL STUDIO LEAD
COME FIND US
The atelier is open, by appointment.
Dillibazar, Kathmandu six benches, one family, and a door that is always open.
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