Sri Lanka’s most famous gems export are Blue Sapphires, Cat's Eyes,Rubies, Star Rubies, Star Sapphires, Alexandrines, Moonstones, Zircons,Garnets, Amethysts, Topaz etc. These together with jewelry items both hand-crafted and machine made are offered for sale at the Trading Booths located at the Sri Lanka Gem & Jewelry Exchange (SLGJE) which comes under the purview of the National Gem & Jewellery Authority (NGJA). The SLGJE’ offers a free Gem Testing Service at its Laboratory located at
310-Galle Road. Colombo- 03.
Tel: 576144-46, 574274, 574361
Fax: 576171
Ratnapura, Sri Lanka’s city of gems, is the world’s richest treasure-house of rare gems, sparkling precious and semi-precious stones. Walk down the city’s narrow streets lined with gem and jewellery shops and see the colourful array of deep blue sapphires, star sapphires, cat’s eyes, wine red rubies, smoky topazes and soft blue aquamarines. The larger showrooms offer jewellery cut either by hand or using modern precision lapidary instruments to facet the stones and bring out their sparkle.
Lankan gems have adorned the crown jewel of many a royal family beyond its shores. A 105 carat Cat’s Eye, discovered in a paddy field, was gifted to the British royal family and is part of the royal jewel collection. Some of the world’s rarest gems were also found here, like the Alexandrite, the Black Cat’s eye and a Blue Sapphire weighing 466 carats.
The island has 17 types of precious and semi-precious stones. Visitors can get the stones tested for a small fee from the State Gem Corporation which issues a certificate after ensuring the stone’s genuineness.
Of the 152 known varieties of gems, 53 are mined in Sri Lanka, the most famous being the sapphire family in all shades and sizes. Blue sapphires lead the way while the pink, gold and yellow ones are of excellent quality and large sizes.
Sri Lanka’s calibrated gem industry has developed rapidly in recent times. In operation are more than 30 lapidaries with over 30,000 skilled gem cutters. The quality of diamonds cut in the island’s 15 diamond factories are of very high standards. Belgium imports 83 per cent of Sri Lanka’s cut and polished diamonds. The remaining 17 per cent goes to Japan and Thailand.
Domestic manufacturers cater to the local market demands of gold set with high-value coroured gemstones. Exporters range from those manufacturing gold jewellery set with coloured gemstones, platinum jewellery set with high-value gemstones, sterling silver jewellery, antique-style ethnic jewellery, to semi-precious stone jewellery set in base metal gold-plated to international standards. Sri Lanka’s gem and jewellery exports are a great success, with an over 70 per cent increase within the past year.
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