Exploring the Gem Trade of Sri Lanka

Ratnapura, Beruwala, Eheliyagoda, Colombo: September 2017

The Students of the Autumn 2017 AIGS Sri Lanka Trip. Photo by the Stone Burner

The AIGS school took a group of students out of the classroom and into the real world to gain some real world experience. It’s one thing to sit in a class with a loupe and a microscope and discuss whether a stone is a synthetic or heat treated and it’s another thing to be surrounded by people on all sides shoving each other to show you a few stones in their hands and having to decide on the spot whether that stone might be a fake or not. This trip gave students the chance to see real gem trading markets, to see the mines where the stones come from, and to see how stones are processed after they’re mined with heat treatment and cutting. It was quite an adventure.

The Map of our Four Day Trip. Map by Google

DAY 1

The first day of the four-day trip started with a long one. We arrived at the airport at 6:30am, with enough time to make sure that 22 students would be ready to check in to the flight at 9:00. The trip from Bangkok to Colombo is about 3.5 hours and it was still early so I think most of the group slept on the plane. When we landed in Sri Lanka, everyone was well rested and refreshed. The school had taken care of the visas, so getting through immigration was quick and easy and soon we were greeted by our guide Milan, a graduated AIGS student and business man who speaks fluent English, French, and Singhalese, the language of Sri Lanka.

Driving Through Sri Lanka. Photo by Justin K Prim

Our group was large, so our transport for the duration of the trip was a full sized coach bus which was very comfortable for everyone. We drove directly from the airport to our first destination which was Eheliyagoda, to see the heat treatment process. The traditional way of doing heat treatment in Sri Lanka is by mouth with coals and a blow pipe. That method only provides low temperature heating and many of the Sri Lankan sapphires need a high temperature heat treatment to unlock the hidden blue color trapped in the core of the stone. This is what we witnessed; gas powered furnaces heating sapphires at high temperatures. We didn’t show up at the right time to see them open the furnace and inspect the stones, but we got a good demonstration of how heat treatment works and the kinds of crucibles and powders they use to keep the stones safe while heating them.

Heat Treatment in Eheliyagoda. Photo by Justin K Prim

We spent about half an hour with the stone burner and then had to move on because it was lunch time and everyone’s stomachs were grumbling. Our first meal in Sri Lanka was a buffet of delicious Sri Lankan food; rice with a variety of vegetable and meat curries plus cake for desert. Once everyone had been fed, we got back on the bus and drove for another hour past roadside gemstone mines around the Ratnapura area until we finally arrived in Pelmadulla, where there is a rough gemstones market.

The Pelmedulla market is an interesting one because it’s located in an outdoor bus station. While big regional and local busses come in and out of the stop, there is a group of men gathered in the parking lot, trading stones and money. This market is only for rough stones and begins at 4:00 in the afternoon. We quickly learned that there is so much gem trading around Ratnapura (meaning “Gem City” in Singhalese) that each market has a specific focus. We spent almost an hour at this market as our master gemologist and teacher Jayesh Patel along with our guide Milan helped the students to identify and purchase rough stones.

Pelmadulla Market. Photo by Justin K Prim

AIGS Teacher Jayesh Patel Looking at a Rough Sapphire Specimen in Pelmadulla. Photo by Justin K Prim

To conclude our first day, we visited the office of one of the largest stone dealers in the area and got to see a lot of beautiful stones that were mined and cut locally. We spoke to the dealers about the stone trade while watching the sun set over Ratnapura from their rooftop patio. This was a chance to relax after a long and exciting day. To end the evening, we had another buffet of regional food at a beautiful outdoor restaurant with live music by local musicians. The food was delicious, the setting was tranquil and peaceful, and the music was delightful.