Corundum

specimen number:
1605116

location:
Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa, Sri Lanka

description:
A pale yellow double terminated semi lustrous slightly translucent crystal of corundum.

Ratnapura, whose name translates literally as "City of Gems" in Sinhala, is situated in the Sabaragamuwa Province of south-central Sri Lanka and serves as the historic capital of the country's legendary gem-mining industry. Geologically, the area rests within the Highland Complex of the Precambrian amphibolite-to-granulite facies metamorphic terrain, where ancient high-grade regional metamorphism transformed original sediments and igneous rocks. The gem deposits themselves are primarily alluvial and eluvial placers found within deep, gravelly layers known locally as illam, which accumulated in valley bottoms and ancient river channels after being weathered from parent pegmatites and metamorphic host rocks. Historically, gem mining and trading in this region date back over two millennia, attracting ancient merchants from Greece, Rome, Persia, and Arabia, and continuing today through traditional, small-scale artisanal pits that yield world-class sapphires, rubies, spinels, and garnets.

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