Industry news
Policy, trade, prices, and provenance from Sri Lanka's gem sector. Dated updates on regulation, exports, and the Ceylon sapphire market.
All stories Latest stories across policy, trade, markets, mining, origins, and opinion.
Policy & Regulation
4 min readJuly reporting revisits the association's call for state-backed liquidity against dealer inventory held in safes.
Read article →Opinion & Debate
5 min readIndustry analysis contrasts export growth with informal trade, weak value addition, and enforcement gaps.
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4 min readThe National Export Development Plan pairs sector growth with EDB projections from $388M in 2025 export revenue.
Read article →Opinion & Debate
4 min readChathuranga Abeysinghe says poor international branding and positioning hold back a sector with world-class stones.
Read article →Trade & Exports
4 min readAbeysinghe says a dedicated centre is needed because the industry cannot rely on rented temporary facilities.
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4 min readChairman S. P. Chaminda cites diplomatic outreach and sustainable mining heritage as hub differentiators.
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5 min readAuthorities set the 2026 exhibition dates and theme Home to the Finest, aligned with the East Asian gem fair calendar.
Read article →Trade & Exports
3 min readOfficials cite 2025 footfall as the baseline for Gem City Ratnapura 2026 expectations.
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5 min readThe All Ceylon Gem Miners and Dealers Association asks the government to convert private gem stocks into liquid economic assets.
Read article →Trade & Exports
4 min readSix weeks after the January tax revision, cutters report cautious optimism but say import volumes have not yet normalized.
Read article →Markets & Prices
5 min readThe Gemports Sapphire Transaction Index shows flat quarter-on-quarter movement as supply constraints meet cautious buyer demand.
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4 min readEarly 2026 planning pointed to an August exhibition window; June briefings later confirmed 31 August to 2 September.
Read article →Trade & Exports
4 min readEarly 2026 export data points to recovery in formal gem and jewellery shipments as policy reforms and trade events take effect.
Read article →Policy & Regulation
5 min readSri Lanka's National Gem and Jewellery Authority shifts import tax to a deemed-value system and drops a per-kilogram customs levy that had choked rough inflows.
Read article →Markets & Prices
7 min readA practical guide to what certified unheated Ceylon royal blue sapphires actually trade for by size in 2026, and which factors move the number.
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5 min readAfter two years of depressed rough imports, Sri Lanka's weight-based tax reform is designed to bring cutting work back from Bangkok and Dubai.
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4 min readCabinet approves extraordinary gazette orders so VAT on imported rough is calculated by weight, not declared invoice value.
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4 min readOfficials pair loose gem exports with jewellery, certification services, and new buyer markets to scale foreign revenue.
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4 min readAuthorities cite enhanced cooperation and technology investment to reduce undeclared gem exports and imports.
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5 min readFine certified unheated Ceylon material has climbed steadily as supply tightens and Asian collector demand grows.
Read article →Opinion & Debate
4 min readGrowing retail insistence on no-heat papers collides with treatment prevalence and inconsistent seller claims.
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5 min readNGJA procedures allow export of certain included rough categories with a 25% service charge when local value addition is not viable.
Read article →Opinion & Debate
5 min readThe September 2025 rough export gazette pits miners seeking fair prices against cutters who want crystal kept in Sri Lanka for polishing.
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4 min readField reporting cites a steep drop in fine large unheated Madagascar sapphire reaching the wholesale market.
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6 min readA new gazette permits export of certain rough stones only if they fail to sell at auction in Sri Lanka, splitting the trade on value addition.
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6 min readTop-grade natural blue sapphires saw sharp price increases through 2025 as fine Madagascar supply contracted and unheated material grew scarcer.
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4 min readChina, Singapore, and Southeast Asia continue shifting discretionary spend toward documented natural corundum.
Read article →Trade & Exports
4 min readThe mid-August exhibition in Pelmadulla brings foreign delegations to the gem district alongside a new government trade portal.
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3 min readgemcityratnapura.com debuts at the 2025 exhibition as the first state-owned gem and jewellery trade website.
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4 min readLaboratory confirmation of no heat commands widening spreads as the share of unheated rough declines.
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4 min readFancy colour sapphires gain share as lavender and pink-orange stones attract Chinese and regional buyers.
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5 min readCompeting centres absorbed Sri Lankan rough during the import tax crisis; reclaiming hub status requires more than origin mining.
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5 min readTrade reporting describes near-minimal rough imports for roughly two years after tax changes in 2023 and 2024.
Read article →Origins & Provenance
5 min readSri Lankan corundum spans more hues than the Kashmir blue monoculture, shaping how jewellers build collections.
Read article →Policy & Regulation
4 min readNGJA policy continues to reject mining licences for foreign companies, foreign partnerships, and foreign individuals.
Read article →Origins & Provenance
8 min readKashmir sapphires command higher per-carat records, but Ceylon offers ongoing supply, clearer certification paths, and practical resale for most buyers.
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3 min readSri Lanka plans to amend the National Gem and Jewellery Authority Act as part of a wider industrial law update.
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5 min readThe National Gem and Jewellery Authority outlines a plan to triple tracked export revenue by pulling informal trade into the formal economy.
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4 min readNGJA leadership says the vast majority of gem exports bypass tracked licensing, limiting export statistics and policy leverage.
Read article →Origins & Provenance
5 min readThe Paddar mines yielded legendary velvety blues for roughly two decades before commercial production ended.
Read article →Origins & Provenance
4 min readUnlike exhausted historical deposits, Sri Lankan alluvial mines still produce corundum weekly for local markets.
Read article →Opinion & Debate
4 min readLicensed pit mining and mechanized illegal extraction carry different environmental and community footprints.
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5 min readPermit issuance rose sharply from 2020 levels while MPs question environmental damage and illegal pits in Badulla.
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4 min readParliamentary scrutiny focuses on unlicensed pits, political interference, and NGJA closure spending.
Read article →Mining & Environment
3 min readLicensed miners must backfill pits; the authority funds closures when operators abandon sites.
Read article →Mining & Environment
5 min readEnvironmental groups and press reports question NGJA licences for mechanized extraction near protected forest buffers.
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