Encore the words of Marco Polo during his visit in 1292; 'I want you to understand that the island of Ceylon is, for its size, the finest island in the world, and from its streams emerge rubies, sapphires, topazes, amethyst and garnet'. From time immemorial, Sri Lanka enjoys a sparkling reputation for valuable gems. Nature has chosen Sri Lanka to hold sacred some of her most precious beauties, renowned worldwide.
Cat's Eyes, Blue Sapphires, Rubies, Alexandrite and Star stones found embedded in layers of earth and sand, hidden in river beds, wetlands, fields or collected at the foot of hills have bestowed Sri Lanka with the name of 'Jewel Island of the Indian Ocean'. The Innumerable age, lustrous gleam and splendour of these precious stones created by Mother Nature is indeed a fortune to Sri Lanka.
Greek and Chinese histories refer to the precious stones of ancient Ceylon, and King Solomon is presumed to have wooed Queen of Sheba with Ceylonese gems. The island, named Taprobane (copper coloured) by Greek explorer Tolami, was at its primitive stages when the first gems were found in flowing streams of the native villages. Until 500 BC, however, these gems were not recognised for their true value and the migrant religious tribes from northern India discovered these precious gems and began to set the rough formations into various coarse jewellery. The gem stones were exchanged with foreign traders and eventually, these treasures became established goods in the Asian and European market.
Scientifically, the precious gem stones, found in Sri Lanka at present, originated within a large land area known as the Highland Series. This area runs through the centre of Sri Lanka and includes a trough formed by the chain of bordering mountains. This trough consists of highly crystalline Precambrian metamorphosed rock, featured components of schist, quartzite, marbles, and sometimes pegmatite deposits. The years of rock erosion has produced the end result of an extensive collection of gem-laden placer deposits along stream beds in lower valleys.
The richest deposits of gems were just below the surface of bountiful valley farmlands. This area, known as the illam (blue and yellow clay composition), was soon discovered by the miners, resulting in a mining frenzy at the time. The exhaustion of resources throughout a great area urged miners to seek more potential gem deposits, which resulted in the discovery of 'ancient streams', the age-old rivers and creeks, hidden under the years of soil erosion. Unfortunately, most of these ancient streams are located beneath harvesting crops of cultivated land. Mining operations caused considerable damage to these crops, creating enmity between local farmers and miners.
With time, the new devices and methods were made available for the prosperous business of gem mining. This new technology and methods make the mining operations profitable and leave the farmlands untouched. At present, a vertical shaft is dug downward until the illam is reached. Feeder tunnels extend in a number of directions like spokes on a wheel. The shaft and tunnels are carefully supported by wood and bamboo shuttering. The miners dig along the tunnels, load the gravel into woven baskets or sacks, and then climb to the surface with the collected loads. Cleaning and sorting takes place on the surface. Usually pumps operate full time to keep the tunnels free of water. When a mine plays out, the tunnels are sealed off, the shaft filled, the buildings removed, and new topsoil spread over the area. As another reaping season approaches, all signs of a mining site disappear.
Ratnapura, the gem city of Sri Lanka, is situated approximately 62 miles / 100 kilometres south-east of Colombo. The city's name is derived from the Sinhalese phrase for City of Gems. The collective result of the countless mining operations conducted in the region has produced a large variety of precious stones, many of them belonging to exceptional stone varieties and far more valuable than most stones found in other areas of the country.
Sapphires occur in all shades of blue, and also yellow, violet, green, pink, and the astonishing pinkish-orange 'padparadsha'. Other gemstones include Topaz in bright yellow with a slight red tinge; brownish yellow to cinnamon-coloured Grossular; orange-yellow Spessartine; blood-red Pyrope; red to brownish red Almandine; the world's finest Zircon in a broad spectrum including brown, yellow, orange, green, and colourless (locally referred to as 'Matara diamond'); green, yellow, and brown Tourmaline; yellow, green, and brown Chrysoberyl; yellow Chrysoberyl Cat's-Eye; the unique white transparent variety of microcline with a blue surface known as Moonstone; and great quantities of Spinel in brown, green, blue, purple, violet, yellow, pink, and red. Unusual and rare stones from the same area include Sillimanite, Andalusite, Scapolite, Enstatite, Kornerupine, Diopside, and Sinhalite. Recently a 5000-carat Cat's-Eye Chrysoberyl, the size of a man's fist, was taken from a mine close by to Ratnapura.
Striving for maximum weight in each completely cut stone, most often gem cutters align the faces poorly with centre, resulting in a poor quality product. Many stones are in need of a repeated production process, causing weight loss, but the process releases its optimum quality as a precious stone.
The proud natural treasures of Sri Lanka have gained excellent repute among monarchs, as these precious gem stones have been used to ornament the crowns of many a royal figure. The British Imperial Crown features a giant oval-cut Spinel known as the 'Black Prince' and the crowns of Green Vaults of Dresden are covered in Sapphires, some of the finest gems produced in Sri Lanka. The Imperial Treasury of the Soviet Union holds a 400-carat red Spinel, also from Sri Lanka, which was once presented to Catherine the Great.
Experiencing an era of ever-increasing difficulty, faced with population overgrowth, economical instability, political unrest and natural disasters, Sri Lanka is, undoubtedly, a struggling nation. Yet, not forsaken by Mother Nature, Sri Lanka continues to reach for the stars, with rainforests, wild life parks, rare and endangered species in nature reserves and also with its gem industry, with more and more investors seeking involvement in the trade of these precious stones. The gem stones of Sri Lanka will keep on filling jewel boxes of affluent society for centuries in future.
