Sri Lanka known as Ceylon until 1972 has been celebrated for centuries as a cradle of gemstones. The island is hailed in the Mahavamsa as “Ratna Dīpa,” the “Island of Jewels,” a testament to a long tradition of gem mining and trade woven into its culture and economy.

At the heart of this legacy is Ratnapura, literally the “City of Gems,” renowned for stones prized worldwide for their clarity and color. Sri Lanka has yielded an exceptional range: blue, golden yellow, pink, and orange sapphires (including the coveted padparadscha), rubies, chrysoberyl cat’s-eyes, alexandrite, star sapphires, garnets, zircons, tourmalines, and spinels.

Historical records trace this heritage back over two millennia. Chronicles mention gem-encrusted thrones of a Naga king around 540 BC and gifts of gems and pearls to foreign rulers, including a 250 BC tribute to an Indian emperor. Classical observers from a Roman account under Emperor Claudius (AD 41–54) to Ptolemy, Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, and Robert Knox likewise praised the island’s abundance of sapphires, beryls, topaz, amethyst, and garnets.