Description
The island of Sri Lanka is home to the highest quality moonstone gems in the world. Meetiyagoda is a famous name in the world of moonstone mining. It‘s Sri Lanka‘s largest moonstone mine. Located between Ambalangoda and Hikkaduwa, in the Southern Province, Sri Lanka. The village have been the most important source of top quality blue moonstones since it was first discovered in 1906.
The normal moonstone is grey, but there are finer versions in hues of blue. Once the moonstone is polished it is cool and smooth to the touch.Sri Lankan moonstones are famous for their blue shine that makes a difference to Indian moonstones. Sri Lankan moonstones are very popular among tourists, which are no doubt of highest value as well. Really, Sri Lankan moonstones are those of highest value due to their dark blue reflections, although Mogok in Myanmar has been the world‘s best primary source of highly valued blue-shining moonstones. Finds of valuable moonstones have become scarcer in recent decades. On average, 50 to 100 rough moonstones of diverse qualities are excavated per day in Meetiyagoda, they are from deposits in a depth of about 10 to 40 meters. Some decades ago, they could be found close to surface.
Tourists could even know-how going down the shafts, from which the moonstones are mined. There are two centers, one the small visitor center, which provides information on the moonstones and the mining process and the larger shop sells moonstones including other gems as well.