2014 February, The Long Trip - Sri Lanka, Gems
Before visiting gem mines I went to say goodbye to the turtles.
Near Hikkaduwa and Kahawa there is a small village Meetiyagoda famous for moonstone mines. On the bus I met a man who was working in one of them. He took me with his company tuk tuk for my first visit. I had a free tour and I climbed down around 15 meters down to see how it worked. I saw cutting, polishing and eventually, I went to the shop. I would have loved to buy sapphires or rubies but they didn't have any natural ones - only polished ones. The second mine I saw in Ratnapura. Sapphires and rubies could be found there but overall, they looked almost the same as the moonstone ones. Honestly, I saw better places to visit on the way to Balangoda, not too far from Ratnapura. In general, mines could be visited for free. Sometimes, a guide might ask for a tip and workers might try to sell you some gems but they are usually fake.
Before visiting gem mines I went to say goodbye to the turtles.
Near Hikkaduwa and Kahawa there is a small village Meetiyagoda famous for moonstone mines. On the bus I met a man who was working in one of them. He took me with his company tuk tuk for my first visit. I had a free tour and I climbed down around 15 meters down to see how it worked. I saw cutting, polishing and eventually, I went to the shop. I would have loved to buy sapphires or rubies but they didn't have any natural ones - only polished ones. The second mine I saw in Ratnapura. Sapphires and rubies could be found there but overall, they looked almost the same as the moonstone ones. Honestly, I saw better places to visit on the way to Balangoda, not too far from Ratnapura. In general, mines could be visited for free. Sometimes, a guide might ask for a tip and workers might try to sell you some gems but they are usually fake.
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| Green Turtle |
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| Green Turtle |
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| Moonstone mine |
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| Moonstone mine - communication |
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| Moonstone mine - 2 workers |
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| Moonstones |
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| Gem mine in Ratnapura |
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| Gem mine in Ratnapura - going down |
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| What I found |
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