The
origin of the term mani jewel is manikya or menik - the Sinhala and
Sanskrit words for gems. The district cited here is believed to be
Ratnapura (city of gems) famed for precious stones throughout history.
The Ratnapura basin is considered the traditional area for gemstones.
Describing Sri Lanka’s gems Capt. Ribeiro states: ``…Here are all the
valleys and mountains that are full of them and are obtained with little
trouble; such as rubies, the finest that can be found anywhere within our
discoveries, all in separate crystals; sapphires, topazes (some of them of
extraordinary size) cat’s eyes… garnets, beryls, jacinths, tourmalines and
various others, which are held in no account there, since they are the
stones with which the river beds are furnished.’’
Neither
ingenuity nor the latest technology can duplicate a Sri Lankan gem. It is
a unique product of nature, which has gifted this country the most rare,
best and most precious of gems, including Blue sapphires, Cat’s eyes, Alexandrites, Star Rubies, Moonstones, Amethysts, Aquamarines, Garnets,
and Zircons etc.
Other
rare gemstones include Andalusite, Apatite, Diopside, Ekanite, Enstatite,
Epidote, Euclase, Fibrolite, Fluorite, Indocrase, Kornerupine, Kyanite,
Sinhalite, Scapolite and Taffeite.
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Orange
Sapphire |
The
Great Aqua of Sri Lanka, with a weight of roughly 1,890 carats is the
largest gem found in the country. This aquamarine yielded a sparkling gem
of 946 carats, which became part of Saudi Prince’s royal collection.
An
exquisite variety of these occur mainly in alluvial gravels found in
valley bottoms into which flow tributary hillside streams that carry gem
minerals released by weathering from the bedrock sources located at
hilltops and hill sides, according to Gems and Gem Deposits of Sri
Lanka by H.S. Gunaratne and C.B. Dissanayake. These stones are
found in a vast range of colours and colour-mixtures some of which are
extremely rare. Some of the gems display colour changes under different
conditions of light. In others, the inclusions within display visual and
reflection effects.
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Pink
Sapphire |
Apart
from Ratnapura, many of the new gem mining areas have been chance
discoveries. Some of them were made in the process of digging a
foundation for a construction work, sinking of a well, ploughing a field
or by chance exposure resulting from landslides or erosion of top soil
following heavy rains and floods.
The
opening up of jungle land for a colonization project led to the discovery
of the Elehera gem deposits, which turned out to be one of the most
high-yielding gemming areas where millions of dollars worth of gems have
been recovered.
A
unique feature of Sri Lanka’s gem pits is that there is almost never an `illam’
(deposit) of any one type of gem. Instead, there is always an assorted
collection of stones like Spinels, Corundums (Sapphire and Ruby), Star
Stones, Cat’s Eyes and many others.
The main varieties of Sri Lankan gems
are:
Corundum (Ruby, Star Ruby, Star
Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Golden Sapphire, Padparadscha and White
Sapphire), Chrysoberyl (Chrysoberyl Cat’s Eye, Alexandrite,
Alerxandrite Cat’s Eye and Chrisoberyl), Spinel (Blue Spinel, Red
Spinel and Mauve Spinel), Topaz (White Topaz), Beryl
(Aquamarine, White Beryl and Pearl Green Beryl), Zircon (Green
Zircon, Yellow Zircon, Brown Zircon and the very rare Red and Blue Zircon)
Garnet (Rose red coloured, Red, Mauve, Hessonite Garnet and
Spessartine Garnet), Tourmaline (Green and Brown varieties),
Quartz (Yellow, White, Brown, Rose and Purple or Amethyst) and
Feldspar (Moonstone)
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Pathparaja Sapphire |
The Blue Sapphire is Sri Lanka’s gem
supreme. And her blue sapphires are the finest in the world. The highly
priced of all gems, it is second only to the diamond in hardness. The
world’s largest known sapphire weighing 42 pounds was found in the gem
gravels of Sri Lanka. The Blue Giant of the Orient weighing nearly 500
carats and the 400-carat Blue Belle of Asia, which a British
multi-millionaire purchased, were also from this country.
The
third hardest mineral known to man, Sri Lanka’s Alexandrite has achieved
perfection in sizes that are larger than that elsewhere. The British
Museum contains two exceptionally fine specimens of Sri Lankan
Alexandrites, weighing 43 and 27.5 carats respectively
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Yellow Sapphire |
With a
few exceptions, almost all gems are minerals that have been defined as a
naturally occurring element formed through nature’s inorganic process. It
is a homogenous body having a definite chemical composition, a crystal
structure and optical and physical properties. Gem material is found
among a very wide range of minerals, formed in the same manner of any
other mineral. The primary feature that gives a mineral the distinction
of a gemstone is its beauty.
Gem
cutting as well as polishing as well as jewellery manufacture are Sri
Lankan crafts, which have achieved the highest level of perfection over
the centuries. Today, the infusion of modern technology has invigorated
these trades. The combination of traditional skills and artistry with the
latest techniques and designs has enabled the country’s lapidaries and
jewellery manufacturers to turn out products of exquisite beauty and
superior quality to satisfy the demands of the most discerning buyers.
The
growth and transformation of these industries owe much to the active
encouragement and incentives extended to them by the Government and its
liberalized policies.
Reproduced with kind permission from the National Gem and Jewellery
Authority
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