Sri Lanka Gemstones
Known during ancient times as "Rathna-dweepa"—which translates roughly to "The Island of Gemstones"—Sri Lanka has long been revered for its natural gifts. Its earth is saturated with a dazzling array of precious gemstones, each possessing unique metaphysical properties of beauty, power, and healing.
It's believed that 20 to 25% of Sri Lanka's land mass bears gemstones—making it one of the densest gem reserves in the world!
Sri Lanka Gemstones Original Locations
Sri Lanka's gem-bearing areas are concentrated around the Highland Group and the Southwest Group of the country, with a few pockets in the Eastern Vijayan Complex.
Today, most Sri Lankan gemstones are mined from the Elahera and Ratnapura gem fields.
Ratnapura
Renowned as the gemstone capital of Sri Lanka, Ratnapura's metamorphic rock formations---located in the country's Sabaragamuwa Province---are some of the oldest in the world—dating back to almost three billion years ago.
This is where the country's most precious gemstones are mined, including Spinel, Zircon, Garnet, Beryl, Chrysoberyl, Tourmaline, Topaz, Ruby, and of course, the country's world-famous Sapphire.
Kurunegala
Kurunegala in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka offers dozens of semi-precious gemstones. We recommend newbies hone their skills on this area's Moonstone, Quartz, Spinel, and Tourmaline deposits.
Elahera
35% of gemstone exports come from the Elahera gem field in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. Mines from this area yield high-quality Tourmaline, Garnet, Zircon, Garnet, Chrysoberyl, and Sapphire.
Colombo
The Colombo District in the country's Western Province is another hotspot for Sri Lankan gems. Andalusite, Kornerupine, Spinel, and Zircon are just some of what's mined here.