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Sri Lanka, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, has long been known by another shimmering name, Rathna Dweepa, meaning The Island of Gems. For centuries, this tropical paradise has been celebrated for producing some of the world’s most dazzling and sought after gemstones. From royal blue sapphires to fiery rubies and the rare Padparadscha sapphire, Sri Lanka continues to shine as one of the world’s greatest sources of natural treasures.
A Land Blessed by Nature and Geology
Located at the southern tip of India, between latitudes 6 to 10 north and longitudes 80 to 82 east, Sri Lanka’s unique geology is what makes its soil so gem rich. Nearly 90 percent of the island is made up of Precambrian crystalline rocks, some of the oldest on Earth, which are over 540 million years old. These rocks, along with the country’s highland and lowland complexes, have given rise to an incredible variety of gemstones found in riverbeds, valleys, and alluvial deposits.
Gem bearing gravel beds, locally called illam, are typically found in the valleys and plains where streams and rivers have carried minerals down from the central hills over millions of years. The gem miners of Ratnapura, which literally means City of Gems, and other regions like Elahera, Balangoda, and Kataragama, still use traditional techniques passed down through generations to extract these sparkling treasures.
A Gem Legacy Spanning Centuries
The gem trade in Sri Lanka dates back more than two thousand years. Ancient travelers and traders once spoke of this island as a place where stones of fire and light were abundant. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a Greek merchant guide written in the first century AD, mentioned Ceylon as a key source of precious stones. From the royal courts of India to the palaces of Europe, Sri Lankan gems have adorned crowns, jewelry, and royal treasures for centuries.
Even today, Sri Lanka remains one of the top five gem producing countries in the world, renowned not only for the quantity but also for the exceptional quality and variety of its stones.
Anaya
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