Known as the “jewel box of the Indian Ocean,” Sri Lanka is home to many varieties of precious stones and fine gems, more than anywhere else in the world.
The late Princess Diana’s engagement ring, the rubies in the Queen of England’s crown, and the marine blue gem from the ill-fated necklace “Heart of the Ocean,” featured in the blockbuster movie “Titanic,” all came from this resplendent island.
“One of the world’s most beautiful and exotic islands, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) lies just below the southern tip of India. This pear-shaped bit of tropical paradise, about the size of Sicily, is a tourist’s delight, offering British tea houses, rubber plantations and
gem mines,” wrote Dr. Peter Bancroft, author of “The World’s Finest Minerals and Crystal.”
He said the island was known in the ancient world as Taprobane (copper-colored in Greek). Native Veddahs, bathing in smooth flowing streams, noticed colored pebbles scattered in sandy bottoms.
It was not until 500 BC that conquering Buddhists from northern India also discovered gems in the rivers and began to set rough stones into crude jewelry. They bartered stones with traders from abroad, and eventually the treasures found their way to the marketplaces of Asia and Europe.
Ancient Greek and Chinese historians referred to the beautiful gems of Ceylon, and King Solomon reportedly wooed the Queen of Sheba with Ceylonese precious stones.
Marco Polo wrote of his visit in 1292: “I want you to understand that the island of Ceylon is, for its size, the finest island in the world, and from its streams comes rubies, sapphires, topazes, amethyst and garnet.”
Many ancient travelers and traders made Sri Lanka one of their destinations for valuable gems. “The Arabian Nights” regales readers with the description of Sinbad the sailor discovering priceless rainbow-hued gemstones in Sri Lanka.
In 600 BC, the Etruscans incorporated rubies obtained from the island in their jewelry. Two centuries or so later, the Romans began to do likewise. Since then, fine rubies from Sri Lanka have found their way to all corners of the planet and enhanced the art of adornment.
Ibn Batuta, a traveler from Tangiers who visited the country sometime between 1333 and 1341, wrote: “All the women in the island of Ceylon have necklaces of rubies of different colors, and wear them also on their arms and legs in place of bracelets and anklets. The sultan’s slave-girls make a network of rubies and wear it on their heads.”
Perfected in the laboratory of nature, and with their radiance and luminosity, gems found in Sri Lanka are far superior to those found anywhere else.
In addition, the exquisite craftsmanship of local jewelers has made the island a paradise for lovers of gems and gem-studded jewelry.
Sri Lanka: The jewel box of the Indian Ocean
Sri Lanka: The jewel box of the Indian Ocean
