GIA Field Researchers Explore the Island of Jewels
Documenting Sri Lanka’s industry from mine to market, Feb. 2014
CARLSBAD, Calif. – June 26, 2014 – In a Feb. 2014 GIA expedition to Sri Lanka, Field Gemologist Andrew Lucas and Video Producer Pedro Padua gained access to a gemstone world rich in tradition and potential. The team spent two weeks on the island documenting their findings for a series of research articles and videos. The country – known in Sanskrit as “Ratna Dweepa” or “Island of Jewels” – is a centuries-old gemstone source and center for mining, trading and cutting that has made evolutionary and revolutionary changes to its industry over the last two decades, making it a key international participant in the modern market.The research duo visited gemstone mining, cutting, trading, jewelry manufacturing, pawning, and retail centers and businesses that represented the activity for each market sector. There they discovered a dynamic industry that blends traditional methods and market practices with a definite movement to modernization for the global marketplace. Updated import and export regulations have opened the path for Sri Lankans to acquire rough gemstones from around the world, revitalizing their trade, while a domestic retail, manufacturing and pawning industry for 22K gold jewelry continues to thrive alongside new jewelry markets for younger generations.
“I’ve never seen such a complimentary combination of traditional practices, new technologies, skill sets and strategies to meet the needs of future domestic and international markets as in the exotic gem-rich island of Sri Lanka,” said Lucas. “Traditional cutting lives side-by-side with modern technology, producing cuts with the highest standards. Modern business practices incorporate the trading expertise of generations of Sri Lankans, creating a brisk marketplace. And artisanal mining practices blend harmoniously with mechanized mining where logical.”
In keeping with its mission to ensure the public trust in gems and jewelry, GIA regularly conducts research field trips to important gem and jewelry centers around the globe, incorporating findings into research practices and education programs and relaying information to the trade and public through a series of channels. Findings from the Sri Lanka field trip will be featured in an upcoming Gems & Gemology (G&G) article, as well as field reports and video documentaries on www.gia.edu.
