An
update on Ruby and Sapphire mining
in South East Asia and East Africa.
Summer 2005
By Vincent Pardieu
and Jean Baptiste Senoble
General Presentation: (visit here)
Part 1) Introduction: (visit here)
Part 2) Vietnam: (visit here)
Part 3) Sri Lanka:
We arrived in Sri lanka on May 15,
2005 to meet Armil Samoon, one of our ICA
friends on the island. Armil invited us to join the
Gemological Association of Australia
conference that was scheduled at the same time and was attended by more than two hundred persons.
We were very happy to benefit from this occasion to meet Australian and Sri Lankan friends,
and attended some very interesting presentations from both Australian and Sri Lankan gemologists and geologists.
We were very happy to have been given the opportunity to attend the conference, and for this,
we are very grateful to the Gemological Association of Australia and especially the president Peter Gerrard
and Grant A Hammid for their warm welcome.
 .
(As we attended the Gemological Association of Australia conference we could met there many ICA friends
like Abdul Rahumans, Gamini Zoysa and Ismail M Kamil. Photos: Armil Sammoon, 2005)
Thanks to the permanent support of
ICA member
Armil Samoon,
we were provided an excellent car with driver and reliable information about the many places of interest
on the island.
We first went to the Ratnapura area where we could visit several markets and mines.
The trading activity in the Newitigala morning market, around forty minutes driving time south of Ratnapura,
was quite impressive with about forty cars hosting Thai geuda buyers and more than four hundred local dealers.
Ratnapura markets were quieter with less interesting stones but full of people.
Unheated gemstones were very difficult to find in the Ratnapura markets.
However, stones obviously coming from Madagascar or East Africa (probably Tunduru in Tanzania )
were present and the dealers had no problem telling us that the stones were of “African origin”
after sometimes a short discussion. Synthetics, glass, and more surprisingly, heat treated crystals
(for which the result was not good enough to be cut and that were proposed as unheated stones) were common.
The fact that we were looking like tourists explains probably why all these gemological challenges came to us!
It was interesting for us to visit. Besides many traditional pit mines, there was a new operation using machinery
just at the entrance of Ratnapura. Globally, the mining activity near Ratnapura was relatively important but
altogether he hardly found thirty mining operations mostly using pit mining. Each operation typically involved
five to fifty miners. We also went to visit several burners in Ratnapura who were using traditional blow pipe
material or much more modern Lakmini furnaces. We were told that around 700 to 1000 or so modern furnaces are
now in operation in the island mostly in the Ratnapura and Colombo areas.
 
(Left to right: Sri Lankan dealers selling “geuda” sapphires to Thais buyers waiting in “dark cars”
at Newitigala morning gem market, Jean Baptiste Senoble, coming out from a 20m deep underground mine pit
near Ratnapura,
Photos: Vincent Pardieu, 2005)
 
(Left to right: Traditional “blow pipe” heat treatment of a pink sapphire in Ratnapura;
A new mining operation using some machinery at the entrance of Ratnapura , Sri Lanka.
Photos: Vincent Pardieu, 2005)
 
(Left to right: Jean Baptiste Senoble visiting an alluvial pit mining operation near Pelmadulla;
Traditional river mining near Ratnapura.
Photos: vincent Pardieu, 2005)
After Ratnapura, we drove east to Okkampitaya.
There we could visit several obviously illegal operations in the jungle involving 3 to 20 miners.
The mining activity there appeared low but it is difficult to get an idea in one day in such a wild area.
 
(Left to right: Crossing a stream and then witnessing the washing of the "illam"
in a small pond surrounded by the Okkampitaya jungle. Photos: Vincent Pardieu, 2005)
We continued then our trip to Bibile where we visited several small
operations including a river mine. We spent a full day witnessing the activity at our friend
Deen Anver
mine, from geminterest,
French gemological forum. It was a good way to rest actively...
 
(Left to right: Sri lankan gem miner and tour guide
Deen Anver
; Before to begin to wash the "illam" at deen mine, the Tamoul miners stated the day with a small
religious ceremeony.
Photos: Vincent Pardieu, 2005)
Finally, we arrived in the Elahera area. There, a mechanized mine was in operation.
The second mine we saw in Sri Lanka was using some machinery made locally near Kandy.
Around 200 local people were mining around the area in paddy fields, or in the surrounding jungle.
But as we visited the area during the full moon festival, we were told that there were much fewer people than usuall.
On a normal average day, more than 1000 persons were supposed to work there on occasion when agriculture activities
did not require all the local labor force. Very surprisingly, even to our local guide, many women were involved in
mining, which is never seen in traditional areas like Ratnapura. The production there despite the number of miners
did not appear to be high.
 
(Left to Right: Sri lankan women mining near Elahara, Gem mining in Elahera plain,
Photos: Vincent Pardieu, 2005)
Finally, we went south near Galle to visit the famous moonstone mines in Metiyagoda.
There the devastations of the tsunami were still very visible but the moonstone mines located few kilometers inland
did not suffer. The production that began here more than fifty years ago was very low. Only two mines are active.
The large high quality material with strong blue sheen is now for memories only as the layers producing these stones
has been depleted. Currently, a deeper layer producing smaller stones with a more silvery aspect is mined.
Some other moonstone mining is occuring in Sri Lanka near Dumbara, close to Kandy.
This mine has been producing for more than 100 years and has produced some very fine quality gems,
the best stones ever produced in Sri Lanka, we were told, came from this area...
 
(Left to right: Carved Metiyagoda moonstones, Moonstone mine pit in metiyagoda,
Photos: Vincent Pardieu, 2005)
Globally, after this four month trip, we were surprised to meet more
Sri Lankan gemstone buyers in Madagascar
(especially in Ilakaka, Manombe and Sakaraha areas) and in
Tanzania (especially Tunduru)
than in Sri Lanka where the markets looks much less busy, except in Newitigala. But there again, the presence
of the Thai buyers waiting in their cars was more visible than Sri Lankan dealers buying gems.
However, geologically and gemologically, the sapphires and chrysoberyls from these three countries are
very close so it is not that surprising. We could also see that the Sri Lankans have done some very
important improvements regarding heat treatment and we witnessed mechanization in gemstone mining is
slowly becoming a part of the Sri Lankan mining landscape.
Sri Lanka gemstone industry is changing for sure!
Part 4: Report about Madagascar (June- July 2005)
(visit here)
Part 5: Report about Kenya (July 2005)
(visit here)
Part
6: Report about Tanzania (August
2005)(visit
here)
Visit also our 2006 fieldtrip reports
Introduction:
Presentation of the AIGS, Gubelin
Gem Lab, ICA 2006 fieldtrip to central
Asia: (visit
here)
Part
1: Pakistan: The Central Asian capital
of the gemstone trade.
(visit here)
Part
2: Afghanistan: Land of beautiful
gems and unique people.
(visit
here)
Part
3: Tajikistan: Gems from the Pamirs.
(visit
here)
Part
4: China (Xin Jiang): Emeralds from
the silk road. (visit
here)
  
Note: For more information and photos about all these different areas,
please visit our photo galleries available from our home page.
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