Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminum oxide with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, copper, or magnesium. Sapphire deposits are found in Eastern Australia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam, Madagascar, Greenland, East Africa, and in North America in mostly in Montana. Madagascar, Sri Lanka, […]
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminum oxide with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, copper, or magnesium. Sapphire deposits are found in Eastern Australia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam, Madagascar, Greenland, East Africa, and in North America in mostly in Montana. Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and Kashmir produce large quantities of fine […]
Beryl is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈. Beryl is hexagonal mineral with 7.5 – 8 hardness according to the more hardness scale. Beryl hexagonal Crystals can be up to several meters in the size. But, Double terminated crystals are very rare to see. Most people know Aquamarine and […]
Vietnamese Red Spinel Rough from Luc-Yen Mine. I have passed many Red Spinels in my gem life. but, It was hard to find like this bright color Red Spinel with low Iron content. Spinel is the magnesium–aluminum member of the larger spinel group of minerals with chemical formula MgAl₂O₄. Spinel is actually a large group […]
Mining on the island of Sri Lanka goes back at least 2000 years. We have our own heritage in the mining arena. Our island is called Gem Island & also “Ratna Dweepa” because of the large variety of gems found here. To visit Sri Lanka is to experience one of the great gem sources and […]
Zircon is a nesosilicates group mineral. Its corresponding chemical formula is ZrSiO4. The name derives from the Persian zargun, meaning “gold-hued”. Zircon is a popular gemstone that has been used for nearly 2000 years. The crystal structure of zircon is tetragonal crystal system with 7.5 hardness according to the Mohs Hardness scale. Zircon is also very resistant to heat and corrosion […]
Geuda is a form of the mineral corundum. Geuda is found primarily in Sri Lanka. It’s a semitransparent and milky appearance due to rutile inclusions. Geuda is used to improve its color by heat treatment. Some geuda varieties turn to a blue color after heat treatments and some turn to red after oxidizing. Also, Kowangu pushparaga turns to yellow […]
Andalusite is an aluminium nesosilicate mineral with the chemical formula Al2SiO5. Andalusite is isomorphic with kyanite and sillimanite, being the lower pressure mid-temperature polymorph. Andalusite is a which forms under low pressure and low to high temperatures. The minerals kyanite and sillimanite are polymorphs of andalusite, each occurring under different temperature-pressure regimes. Andalusite is orthorhombic crystal mineral with 6.5 – […]
Garnets are a group of silicate minerals. All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms but differ in chemical composition Such as Pyrope Mg3Al2Si3O12, Almandine Fe3Al2Si3O12, Spessartine Mn3Al2Si3O12, Andradite Ca3Fe2Si3O12, Grossular Ca3Al2Si3O12, Uvarovite Ca3Cr2Si3O12. Most Garnets have a variable magnetic attraction. This characteristic also uses to identify garnet. Pyrope – almandine – […]
Beryl is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈. Beryl is hexagonal mineral with 7.5 – 8 hardness according to the more hardness scale. Beryl hexagonal Crystals can be up to several meters in the size. But, Double terminated crystals are very rare to see. Most people know Aquamarine and […]
