Exploring Sri Lankas Ancient Gem Trade

Sri Lanka has been giving the world some beautiful gems for thousands of years. People like Marco Polo and old sailors on the Silk Road wrote about how amazing the gems from this island’re. Today families who have been mining for gems for a long time are still using old methods that are good for the earth to find the best stones. When you learn about this trade you get to know a lot about the culture and history of Sri Lanka.

 Identifying Genuine Ceylon Treasures

To find gems from Sri Lanka you need to know what makes them special. The best gem from Sri Lanka is the Ceylon Blue Sapphire. It is blue like a cornflower. Looks beautiful in any light. There are really rare gems like the alexandrite that changes color and the padparadscha sapphire that is pink and orange. When you buy a gem look at its color. How clear it is. It is okay if it has some marks inside because that means it grew naturally deep in the earth.

 A Journey Through the Gem Fields

If you want to understand where gems come from you should go to the places where they are mined. Do not just stay in the cities like Colombo and Kandy where you can buy gems. Go to the countryside near Ratnapura. See how local miners work together to find gems in the rivers. You can also go to Meetiyagoda where they find moonstones that have a blue color. When you visit these places you will see how hard people work to find one gem.

Smart Purchasing and Certification

Buying a gem in Sri Lanka can be an experience if you are careful. Do not buy gems from people who are not authorized to sell them like vendors on the beach or tuk-tuk drivers. Only buy from shops that have a license from the National Gem and Jewellery Authority of Sri Lanka. Before you pay for a gem make sure it is real, by taking it to a lab that is certified by the state. This way you can be sure that your gem is natural and not fake.