Sri Lanka’s gem and mineral industry have a very long history. Sri Lanka was warmly known as Ratna-Deepa which means Gem Island. The name is a reflection of its natural wealth. The writer Marco Polo wrote that the island had the best sapphires, topazes, amethysts, and other gems in the world. In the 2nd century “Ptolemy”, astronomers recorded that beryl and sapphire were the mainstays of Sri Lanka’s gem industry.
2021-10-20