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| HILL CAPITAL KANDY- SRI LANKA |
Rock fortress, World famous Beaches, Colored Stones and more...
SRI LANKA GEMS
From time immemorial Sri Lanka has had a sparkling reputation for highly treasured gems. Nature in her bounty has chosen the bosom of Sri Lanka to enshrine some of her rarest treasures; Blue Sapphires, Cat's Eyes, Alexandrites, Rubies, and many other varieties specially only available in Sri Lanka soil, its a gift of Nature to this Island, where according to the legend of Great Religions Adam and Eve were banished to this Beautiful Island.
ADAM'S FOOTPRINT
The foot print of Adam is still witnessed by millions of pilgrims every year and call Adam's peak.
Ibn Battuta the medieval traveler who is known to have visited Ceylon (Sri Lanka) has mentioned about Adam's peak and Ceylon gem on his biography.
COLORED STONES OF SRI LANKA...
(Ceylon) Sri Lanka has been described as a pearl in the Indian Ocean.
One of the main features of Sri Lanka is its nature's gift Colored Stones.
This tropical nation, about half the size of the State of Ohio in the US, is an important center for the mining of gem stones.
In the mining center, located in the hilly interior countryside about 100 miles from the capital city Colombo, Sapphires Gem stones are still mined by hand in the sandy hillsides.
In the mining center, located in the hilly interior countryside about 100 miles from the capital city Colombo, Sapphires Gem stones are still mined by hand in the sandy hillsides.
Sri Lanka gem stones are not only beautiful, but are among the largest sapphires mined in the world.
BLUE GIANT OF THE ORIENT 466 CARATS Mined in the Ratnapura district in 1907, this giant blue sapphire is one of the world's most valuable gems.It is the largest blue sapphire in the world and is, today, the treasured possession of a famous American gem and art connoisseur.
The Blue Giant of the Orient is a cushion-cut, intense medium-blue color sapphire, an untreated natural stone with full color saturation, characteristic of most of the blue sapphires originating in Sri Lanka, which has given the stones a worldwide branding as Ceylon Blue Sapphires a name that is synonymous with high quality untreated blue sapphires. The weight of the stone is 466 carats, making it the largest faceted blue sapphire in the world. The dimensions of the Blue Giant of the Orient when it was first cut in 1907, were 2 1/2 in by 1 3/4 in by 3/4 in which is equivalent to 63.5 mm x 44.5 mm x 19 mm. GIFT OF NATURE:
Sri Lanka is the only country in the world that had produced extraordinarily large gem-quality blue sapphires over the years, and most of the crown jewels of monarchies, and museum collections around the world, include large blue sapphires that originated in Sri Lanka.
Thus, the fact that the world 1st, 2nd and 3rd largest faceted blue sapphires are all of Sri Lankan origin, is a little cause for surprise. In fact, even the world's largest rough sapphire crystal, weighing 42 pounds ( 19 Kg) is of Sri Lankan origin, and is the proud possession of the National Gem and Jewelry Authority of Sri Lanka.
The world's 1st, 2nd and 3rd largest blue sapphires are respectively the 466-carat ;Blue Giant of the Orient, the 422.99-carat Logan Blue Sapphire; and the 400-carat ;Blue Belle of the Orient.
These superior gemstones while carrying high price tags in international markets also hold superlative positions among experts and those who seek the best.The most desired color and tone for a sapphire has been describe as an intense cornflower blue with a 'velvety' Luster.This velvety Luster is the specialty of Sri Lanka gem.
WORD'S LARGEST SAPPHIRE FOUND IN SRI LANKA.
The world's largest blue sapphire corundum was found in Sri Lanka and weighed in at a hefty 42 kilograms. The company that owned the sapphire cut it into several chunks, including a 17 kilogram stone worth about $800 million US dollars. Photo: Getty Images.
