Industry news
Policy, trade, prices, and provenance from Sri Lanka's gem sector. Dated updates on regulation, exports, and the Ceylon sapphire market.
Trade & Exports Export growth, trade fairs, import flows, and Sri Lanka's position against regional cutting hubs.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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