Knowledge Centre

Sri Lankan Mining

Traditional gem mining in Sri Lanka looks much as it has for centuries.

Traditional gem mining in Sri Lanka looks much as it has for centuries, particularly around Ratnapura and Elahera, where small-scale, family-run pits remain the primary method of extraction.

Miners dig narrow shafts down to gem-bearing gravel, known locally as illam, then wash and sieve it by hand to reveal what the earth has concealed. It is patient, physical work, often continued by the same families for generations.

This traditional approach, largely unchanged by industrial mining methods, is part of why Sri Lankan gemstones carry such a strong sense of heritage - each stone can be traced back to a place, and often a family, rather than an anonymous industrial operation.