Ratnapura (Sinhalese: රත්නපුර) (“City of Gems" in Sinhala) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional center for the Sri Lankan gem trade. It is located on the Kalu Ganga (Black River) in south-central Sri Lanka, some 101 km (63 mi) southeast of the country's capital, Colombo. Ratnapura is also spelled as Rathnapura. Mining and trading of gems is an integral part of Sri Lanka's history and trade. Gemstones were major trade commodities for Sri Lankan kings and gemstones from Ratnapura have found their way to royalty and museums around the world for at least two thousand years. Since mechanized mining is prohibited, gem mining is still carried out using simple methods and many mines remain small scale.
It has always been part of society as they are worn to display the representation of social status or simply for its beauty. Humans have traded, looted, hoarded, waged wars, families torn apart to acquire various sorts of wealth, and gemstones are no exception. Unmatched beauty, rarity, and purity and endurance are the undying quality of highly-priced gemstones. Earth, we live today in is one third the age of the universe. Which is 4.5 - 5 billion years. The earth has undergone many transformations for billions of years. Over the last millions of years, molten lava cools down to form the crust and the continents started to form lands, emerging from the seas. These Techtronic movements of creation and breakages made the perfect environment giving birth to these magnificent stones that we witness today.
9/10 of Sri Lanka is made of high-grade metamorphic rock which means the 90% of Sri Lankan landmass belongs to Precambrian age is aging 3000 to 4000 Million years forming the
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Subsequently broken off due to magmatic heat breaking the tectonic plates and moved the island to north with the Indian Plate. This metamorphic geology survived all these transformations has led to the small island shine as the jewel box of Indian Ocean. Island has a history that running back 2 billion years, there is no wonder Mother Nature has chosen Sri Lanka to bless it with a varied abundance of gem minerals that precedes the reputation of any other nation.
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Below video footages illustrate the environmentally friendly primitive mining process in Sri Lanka. Compared to other countries, Sri Lankan gem mining is far more environmentally friendly.
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Mine to Market Process
Below video footage shows our gem hut tours with our international wholesalers and jewelers buying directly from our trading office in Ratnapura. If you are a member of the trade (diamonds & colored stones) you are eligible to travel with us all the way to Ratnapura and purchase colored stones from other miners, cutters, brokers & wholesale manufacturers. You will be well advised on prices during purchasing and we shall not let you overpay for a single stone. Not even for a “Garnet”. We will make sure you purchase stones for the correct price so you can go back to your home country and sell it for a hefty profit [Terms & Conditions Apply].
Any stone can be returned within 30 x days if an international gem laboratory such as GIA, GRS, SSEF & Gubelin identifies it as not being natural stones. For example, if some sapphires are purchased as unheated sapphires and any of the above laboratory issue certificates saying the stones are heat-treated, you can return the stones and get replacements or your money back. This is guaranteed!!
Also, all stones on our website inventory are subject to prior sales as we are wholesaler exporters and manufacturers.
"Subject to prior sale" is a legal expression in the context of contract law for the sale of goods. It's a disclaimer. It indicates that the goods in the meantime may have been sold to a third party already.
Nevertheless, a similar quality or even a better gemstone can be located to fulfill your requirement.