The Gem Mining Industry In Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has been famous from time immemorial for the great variety and abundance of gem minerals of extremely high quality and uniqueness, earned it the name Ratna Deepa meaning Gem Island. Nature in her bounty has chosen the bosom of Sri Lanka to enshrine some of  her rarest treasures.
 
Significant gem fields had been known from ancient times. Blue Sapphires, Cat’s Eyes, Alexandrites, Rubies, Star stones found embedded in layer of gravel and sand, in river beds, marshes, fields or accumulated at the foot of hills have made Sri Lanka the renowned island for gems. These precious stones perfected in the laboratory of nature lay hidden of countless ages, their luster undimmed, their value unrecognized.

Sri Lanka ranks with Myanmar, Brazil, South Africa and Thailand as one of the world’s most important gem bearing nations.  The story of Sri Lanka’s gems is as old as civilization itself.   Legends, myths and the occult have been associated with the long history of the island’s precious stones.   Gems are deeply embedded in the traditional beliefs and the religious life of the majority of  Sri Lankans.  Priceless gems are among the treasures kept in the relic chambers of  the great  Buddhist stupas in the island.

The earth’s greatest concentration of gems in over 50 varieties is found within the country’s land area of approximately 25,000 square miles.   The Arabs called this the land Jazirat Kakut, which denotes the same meaning the Island of gems. The fame of her gems spread far and wide.  These priceless precious stones have adorned the crowns and thrones of royalty in many parts of the world.

 Gem Mining Procedure

 Mining for gemstones is carried out on a cooperative basis. A number of miners form a group and share the costs of labour and profits from the sale of gemstones. This group is known as a Karuhavula. Its most important members are the investor and the miners. The investor finances the whole operation project up to the sorting stage. The miners decide on a suitable site, once a suitable site is chosen, miners excavate until they reach the gem bearing illama. A miner is able to judge the depth of the illama by inserting a steel rod into the earth until it reaches the layer below the illama, called the malava. Although the malava is found beneath the illama, there is a possibility of finding another layer of illama beneath the malava. The mine owner, being the head of a mine, is responsible for various legal activities and requirements. The organization and operation of a mine requires particular skills and some considerable experience of the industry. Mine owners tend to have been involved in gem mining for a significant period of time and the majority of them were middle aged.
Gem Mining Methods

There are 2 common mining methods. One is pitting: Pitting shafts are made to reach levels from 10 to 12 feet of pay gravel exist. Tunnels are made to collect the pay gravel around the base. Walls are structured with timber species that resist water rot and fern. Pits are generally confined to marshy terrain and paddy lands. Flooding is the main hazard in pit mining and the workers of the present day generally use water pumps to dewater.
The other is riverbed mining: Gems are also mined from riverbed material by using suction pumps for extraction of riverbed gravel for gems. Much harm can be done to riverbank stability by removal of gravel thus undermining the banks because there is no control of the operation.
Mining Methods Extraction

The mining methods used in Sri Lanka are specifically developed and suited to the terrain. Compared to other gem producing countries some of the techniques are both simple and apparently obsolete. However, these methods are effective, adequately efficient and generally safe. Moreover the initial capital cost of mining operations is generally very low which permits greater involvement by relatively poor rural inhabitants.

The Sri Lankan government has in fact banned the use of heavy, mechanized mining methods in gem mining. This not only prevents rapid, destructive depletion of an irreplaceable resource but also maintains an alternative source of revenue for much of the rural population who otherwise would be dependent almost entirely on agriculture.
                                                                                                                                      Deep Gem Pit view
Excavation of a pit is done usually by manual labour. In the first, stage, miners remove the non-gem bearing material, often soil, sand and gravel. This material is taken out of the pit and sorted and stored to be used later to fill in the hole. If the pit is shallow, the soil is removed with the miners standing at different levels of the pit and baskets being passed by hand to hand. If the pit is deep a pulley system is used. The illama is also removed in the same manner. In some instances the illama is excavated horizontally thereby creating a tunnel called a donava. These can extend from 6 to 9 metres form the shaft.                                                                                                    
A temporary shed is made above the gem pit to protect the miners from the heat. Planks and logs are used to support the walls of the pit. While timber is usually used for this purpose, as prices increase for materials, some miners more use alternatives such as steel plates. 
Gempits sometimes suffer from accumulated water when the pit is dug and therefore mines are equipped with pumps to remove this water.
Time taken to mine is usually determined by the amount of illama found. Mining can range from a couple of days to a couple of years.

Washing Stage