Gems in Sri Lanka

Content
1.Gems of Sri Lanka
2.Gems of Highlights in Sri Lanka

1.Sapphir
10.Topaz

2.Ceylon Sapphir
11.Star stones

3.Ruby
12.Citrine

4.Alexandrite
13.Topaz

5.Aquamarine
14.Quartz

6.Cats eye

7.Peridot

8.Garnet

9.Amethyst

Gems of Sri Lanka

Traditional Gem Fields of Sri Lanka

Sri Lankas gem industry has a very long and colorful history. Sri Lanka was affectionately known as
Ratna-Dweepa which means Gem Island. The name is a reflection of its natural wealth. Marco
Polo wrote that the island had the best sapphires, topazes, amethysts, and other gems in the
world.[1] Ptolemy, the 2nd century astronomer recorded that beryl and sapphire were the mainstay
of Sri Lankas gem industry. Records from sailors that visited the island states that they brought back
jewels of Serendib. Serendib was the ancient name given to the island by middle eastern
and Persian traders that crossed the Indian Ocean to trade gems from Sri Lanka to the East during
the 4th and 5th century.
Sri Lanka, geologically speaking is an extremely old country. Ninety percent of the rocks of the
island are of Precambrian age, 560 million to 2,400 million years ago. The gems form
in sedimentary residual gem deposits, eluvial deposits, metamorphic deposits, skarnand calciumrich rocks. Other gems are of magmatic origin.
Residual deposits are mainly found in flood plains of rivers and streams. The metamorphic types of
gems constitute 90% of the gem deposits in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has the highest density of gem
deposits compared to its landmass. Ratnapura contains the most gem deposits and derived its
name from the gem industry. Ratnapura means city of gems.
The blue sapphires from Sri Lanka are known as Ceylon Sapphire. Ceylon Sapphires are reportedly
unique in colour, clarity and lustre compared to the blue sapphires from other countries.

Highlight
gems in
Sri Lanka

Sapphir
Sapphire is an aluminum oxide. Its colour varies from very light to dark blue to violetish-blue, bluish-green, yellow, slightly reddishorange, brown, nearly opaque black, colourless, pink, violet and the pinkish-orange padparadscha (lotus flower)
Varieties
Coloured varieties, star sapphire, alexandrite-like sapphire.
Sources
Sri Lanka, Kashmir (India), Burma, Thailand, Australia, Tanzania, Kenya, Montana, Madagascar
Toughness
Excellent, except in laminated or fractured stones.
Precautions
Sapphires may fade if heated
History
According to an ancient Persian legend, the earth rested on a great sapphire whose reflection was seen in the sky. The stone
also appears in the Promethean legend. Prometheus was chained to a rock by Zeus for having stolen fire from the gods.
After being rescued by Hercules, a link of the chain remained on his finger, and attached to it was a piece of rock. Zeus
agreed to grant Prometheus his freedom if he wore the link as a reminder of his sin. Later a ring set with a sapphire replaced
the link and stone. Sapphire symbolizes truth, sincerity and constancy. It was believed to protect the wearer against capture
by an enemy, and to win the favour of princesses. It also protected against poison. It was said that if a poisonous snake were
put in a vessel with a sapphire, the rays from the gem would kill it. The name sapphire originally comes from Sanskrit. It
became sappheiros in Greek, meaning blue.

Ruby

Ruby is an aluminum oxide, a variety of corundum; it occurs in medium to dark tones of red and violetish-red to
brownish-red
Varieties
Star ruby
Sources
Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Africa (Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania), India.
Toughness
Excellent, except in laminated or fractured stones.
Treatments
The Burmese believed that "blazing red" stones could be found in a "bottomless" valley. Natives threw pieces of
meat into the valley, hoping that some stones could then be recovered by killing the vultures. In the Royal
Collection of England, you can view a gold ring set with a pale but nearly flawless ruby into which a portrait of
Louis XII of France is carved.

Cuts & Uses

Faceted or en cabochon, usually mixed cut (brilliant crown, step-cut pavilion), beads, carved (poor quality).
Choosing a Ruby
The most important factor in the value of a ruby is colour. The top qualities are as red as you can imagine: a
saturated pure spectral hue without any overtones of brown or blue. The word red is derived from the Latin word
for ruby, ruber, which is derived from similar words in Persian, Hebrew, and Sanskrit. The intensity of colour of a
fine ruby is like a glowing coal, probably the most intensely coloured substance our ancestors ever saw. It is no
wonder they ascribed magical powers to these fires that burned perpetually and never extinguished themselves.

Alexandrite

Alexandrite is a variety of chrysoberyl, which ideally shows a distinct colour change from green in fluorescent light or
daylight to red in incandescent light.
Varieties
A very small amount of alexandrite shows a cat's eye effect (chatoyancy).
Sources
Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Soviet Russia, Brazil, Zimbabwe - Rhodesia, Burma.
Toughness
Excellent
History
Alexandrite received its name because it was discovered on the birthday of
Czar Alexander II of Russia in 1830. Red and green are also the colours of the Russian Imperial Guard.
Cuts & Uses
Alexandrite is usually faceted. Chrysoberyl cat's eyes must be cut en cabochon to display a chatoyant effect.

Aquamarine

Aquamarine is a blue to greenish-blue or bluish-green variety of beryl.

Varieties
May occasionally exhibit a cat's eye effect (chatoyancy).
Sources
Sri Lanka, Brazil, Madagascar (only historically), Tanzania, Russia, Kenya, Afghanistan, Nigeria.
Toughness
Good
Treatments
Almost all aquamarine is heat-treated to enhance its blue colour. Irradiation with neutron, gamma rays or with x-rays. Colour
change is permanent and is an accepted practice. A morganite (pink beryl) turns deep purple blue (Maxixe type) upon
ultraviolet irradiation, though the colour is not stable.
History
The word aquamarine comes from the Latin for sea water. In 1910 a 243 lb. crystal was found in Brazil. The outside was
greenish and the inside was blue. It sold for $25,000 and was cut into many high quality gems. The American Museum of
Natural History has a 13 lb. uncut piece of the green outside portion.

Cats eye

A cat's eye like effect, known as 'chatoyancy', appears to move on this stone's surface. Cat's eye is a gem variety of
chrysoberyl.
Hardness: 8.5 on the Mohs' scale.
Description
A translucent variety of chrysoberyl (beryllium aluminum oxide) which exhibits a silvery white line across the stone. This
moves as the stone, the light source or the observer moves and may appear to open and close like an eye. The finest quality
has a sharp eye that appears to open and close as the stone is rotated, and exhibits a strong "milk and honey" effect (stone
on one side of the eye appears lighter than the other). These colours switch as the stone or light source is moved. The most
highly prized body colours are greenish-yellow and brownish-yellow (honey colour).
Varieties
Rare specimens also exhibit change of colour.
Sources Sri Lanka, Brazil.
Phenomena
Chatoyancy caused by the reflection of light off minute, parallel, needle-like rutile crystals or hollow tubes.

Peridot

Peridot is a silicate of magnesium and iron, occurring in yellowish-green, green, greenish-yellow, brownish-green and brown
(all transparent).
Varieties
Peridot top grades: medium to dark, slightly yellowish-green. Chrysolite ? greenish-yellow, light to dark yellowish-green to
brownish-green to almost brown.
Sources
Sri Lanka, Island of Zeberget (Egypt), Burma, USA, Mexico.
Toughness
Fair to good
History
The ancients called it the "gem of the sun." They attributed to it the power to dispel enchantment and evil spirits due to its
association with the sun (which drives away darkness). In order to be worn as a talisman, it had to be set in gold. The Red
Sea island of Zeberget, off the southern tip of Egypt, was worked for this stone as early as 1500 B.C. At that time, the island
was known as "The Island of Serpents," because it was infested with poisonous snakes. Later, the reigning Egyptian king had
the snakes destroyed to facilitate prospecting for peridot. Prospecting was done at night because the gem could not be seen
in sunlight. The workers would mark the spots and return the next day to dig them out.

Garnet
A group of gemstones occurring in every colour but blue. One of earth's most common minerals, though only a small portion is
considered gem quality.
Sources
Rhodolite - Sri Lanka, North Carolina, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Brazil.
Almandite - Sri Lanka, India, Brazil, star from Idaho - USA.
Pyrope - Czechoslovakia, South Africa, Zimbabwe - Rhodesia, Brazil, Arizona.
Grossularite - Sri Lanka, Brazil, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Canada.
Andradite - demantoid: Russia, Italy; translucent yellowish or greenish-brown, Arizona.
Spessartite - Sri Lanka, Burma, Brazil, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya.
Uvarovite - Russia, Finland (hardly mined at all).
Toughness
Fair to good
History
Since earliest times garnets have been carried as amulets against accidents in travel. Asiatic peoples and even our Southwest
Indians used them as bullets, believing that their rich, glowing colour might cause more deadly wounds. The Persians have
given the garnet a favoured place as a royal stone, allowing it to bear their sovereign's image. Red garnet was once used to
relieve fever, yellow garnet to cure jaundice. If the powder failed, the apothecary was accused of using a substitute.
Cuts & Uses
Usually faceted. Sometimes carved into intaglios.

Amethyts

Description
A variety of quartz, silicon dioxide, which appears to be dark purple in transparent light.
Varieties
None

Sources
Sri Lanka, Brazil, Uruguay, Russia, Mexico, Zimbabwe - Rhodesia, Zambia, Arizona.
Toughness
Good
History
The word amethyst comes from the Greek amethustos meaning "not drunk". Therefore, it has been considered a
charm against intoxication. A legend accounts for the origin of the stone. Supposedly, Bacchus, the god of wine
and conviviality, grew angry at a slight and swore revenge. He decreed that the first mortal to come across his path
was to be eaten by tigers. Amethyst, a beautiful maiden on her way to worship at the shrine of Diana, happened
to be the victim. Diana, the huntress, changed Amethyst into colourless quartz to protect her from the tigers.

Topaz

Topaz is a fluosilicate of aluminum, occurring in transparent yellow, yellow-brown, orange-brown, light to almost medium
red, very light to light blue, very light green and violet colours.
Varieties
Coloured varieties, Imperial (reddish-orange), chatoyant material (very rare).
Sources
Prime source is Brazil. Sri Lanka (blue), Mexico (mostly poor quality, brownish-yellow), Russia, South Africa (blue), Utah,
Afghanistan.
Toughness
Poor, extremely easy basal cleavage - treat with care.
History
The stone began to be used in Marco Polo's time (13th century). Topaz mounted in gold and hung around the neck was
believed to dispel enchantment. When the powdered stone was put in wine, it was considered a cure for asthma, insomnia,
burns and haemorrhages. Topaz was supposed to become obscure in contact with poison and to quench the heat of boiling
water. All these powers were believed to be increased or decreased with the changes of the moon.
Cuts & Uses
Usually faceted, often mixed cut due to long prismatic shape of crystal; some stones cut as longish oval or pendeloque
stones. The moderately rich colored stones are emerald cut.

Star stone

Star stones of the corundum family are either star sapphires or rubies. When light falls on these stones, a star effect is visible
(known as asterism).
Sri Lanka is the best known source for star sapphires and star rubies. Star sapphires range in colour from grey to bluish-grey
and from medium blue to medium dark blue. The very slightly purplish medium dark blue is the best colour grade for star
sapphires. Star rubies range from light pink-red to purple-red through deep purple-red. The intense red star rubies are
extremely rare. A good quality star stone should have a high degree of transparency and a well defined star with no weak or
missing rays. It should be reasonably clean and in the face-up position, no distracting inclusions or cracks should be seen.
There should be no excess weight at the bottom of the stone.
Star sapphires and rubies are hard stones (9 on the Moh?s scale), which can take a high degree of polish and retain the
shinefor a long time. The special optical phenomenon of a well-defined six-ray star is a fascinating sight. The wearable
qualities of the star stones make them suitable for men's rings.

Citrine

Description
A transparent variety of quartz, silicon dioxide, occurring in yellow to red-orange to orange-brown. The name is derived from
citron, which is French for lemon.
Varieties
Madeira (deep, bright reddish-brown) and Palmyra (medium yellowish-brown) are terms used in the trade.
Sources
Brazil, Madagascar, Russia, Sri Lanka.
Toughness
Good
Treatments
Poor quality amethyst is often heat-treated to achieve a desirable citrine colour.
Cuts & Uses
Usually fashioned into ring and pendant stones. The per carat value of cut citrine usually decreases beyond the size of an
average ring stone.

Moonstone

Moonstones are usually colourless to white, semi-transparent to translucent, and characterised by a glowing light effect
known as adularescence, the visibility of which is confined to a restricted angle of view. The most valuable of the feldspar
gems.
Varieties
Some may exhibit cat's eye effect.
Sources
Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Burma, United States, Madagascar, Tanzania.
Phenomena Adularescence- a glowing effect, the finest of which is bluish. Finest quality moonstone is semi-transparent;
poorest is translucent. Occasionally a sharp cat's eye may be present.
Toughness
Poor
History
Considered a love charm, moonstone has been attributed the power to arouse tender passions and foretell the future.
Therapeutic qualities include protection from lunacy, appeaser of anger and relief from fever.

Quartz

Quartz is the most common mineral on the face of the Earth. Gem varieties include amethyst (purple), citrine (yellow), milky
quartz (cloudy, white variety), rock crystal (clear variety), rose quartz (pink to reddish-pink variety), and smokey quartz
(brown to grey variety).
Gem varieties of quartz include: citrine, amethyst, rock crystal, rose quartz, and smokey quartz. There are also varieties of
Quartz cat's eye.
Colours: citrine (yellow); amethyst (purple); rock crystal (colourless); rose quartz (pink); and smokey quartz (purplish-brown).

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