Long before the September 2025 rough export gazette, Sri Lanka operated a Geuda classification for rough that cannot be improved domestically by cutting, polishing, or standard heat treatment. Categories include Geuda, katta, ottu, silky material, and related included rough types defined in NGJA internal circulars.
Export under Geuda rules requires committee inspection on fixed Wednesdays, parcel documentation, and a service charge of 25% of FOB invoice value payable in US dollars. Remittances above 10,000 dollars require bank documentation entered with the authority.
The system acknowledges geological reality: not every Sri Lankan crystal becomes a clean faceted gem in a local workshop. Included rough may be better sold abroad for rebirth as cabochon, bead, or treated material.
The September auction-based export route runs parallel to Geuda for a broader class of unsaleable rough. Together they signal policy drift toward allowing more crystal to leave the island. Cutters worry about margin export; miners worry about fair price for material local buyers reject.
