Pricing
5 min readSapphire prices 2026 list: Ceylon price per carat chart
How much is a blue, pink, yellow, purple, padparadscha, or parti sapphire in 2026? USD per carat chart with FOB, Gemports, and retail bands for Ceylon sapphire.
Markets & Prices Per-carat bands, index moves, unheated premiums, and import cost stacks for serious buyers.
Markets & Prices stories
Policy & Regulation
4 min readGem Bank proposal spotlights billions in illiquid private stocks
July reporting revisits the association's call for state-backed liquidity against dealer inventory held in safes.
Read article →Buying
5 min readInternational buyers: export from Sri Lanka & landed cost
How licensed export works, what landed cost really means (stone price vs doorstep), corridor notes for UK, EU, US, Australia, and UAE, and why larger purchases ship better value.
Read article →Buying
5 min readBuyers in Sri Lanka: local delivery guide
Four shipping options after you buy: economy courier, insured post, secured express, or free collection by appointment, plus our handling window and how we declare each parcel.
Read article →Buying
5 min readReturns and case-by-case policy
Why gemstone sales are reviewed individually, what to check before you pay or bid, and when we can discuss a resolution, without treating natural stones like catalogue goods.
Read article →Buying
5 min readHow our live gemstone auctions work
Price tiers, bidding, the WhatsApp group, backup bids, local and international delivery, and what happens when you win.
Read article →Opinion & Debate
5 min readSri Lanka's gem sector at a crossroads despite billion-dollar ambitions
Industry analysis contrasts export growth with informal trade, weak value addition, and enforcement gaps.
Read article →Policy & Regulation
4 min readNEDP targets $1.2B gem and jewellery exports over five years
The National Export Development Plan pairs sector growth with EDB projections from $388M in 2025 export revenue.
Read article →Opinion & Debate
4 min readDeputy Minister: Sri Lanka's gem quality is not the marketing problem
Chathuranga Abeysinghe says poor international branding and positioning hold back a sector with world-class stones.
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4 min readGovernment proposes permanent Gem and Jewellery Experience Centre
Abeysinghe says a dedicated centre is needed because the industry cannot rely on rented temporary facilities.
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4 min readNGJA works with foreign missions to promote Ceylon gems abroad
Chairman S. P. Chaminda cites diplomatic outreach and sustainable mining heritage as hub differentiators.
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5 min readGem City Ratnapura 2026 confirmed for 31 August to 2 September
Authorities 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 readGem City 2025 drew 7,500 visitors and 200 international buyers
Officials cite 2025 footfall as the baseline for Gem City Ratnapura 2026 expectations.
Read article →Policy & Regulation
5 min readGem industry proposes national Gem Bank of Sri Lanka to President
The All Ceylon Gem Miners and Dealers Association asks the government to convert private gem stocks into liquid economic assets.
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4 min readRatnapura and Beruwala workshops wait for rough imports to return
Six weeks after the January tax revision, cutters report cautious optimism but say import volumes have not yet normalized.
Read article →Origin
5 min readStones beyond Ceylon
Mahenge spinel, tsavorite, and sapphires from Madagascar, Thailand, Australia, and other origins we list from sourcing trips.
Read article →Colour
5 min readColour zoning in sapphire
Why some stones show two tones, how zoning follows crystal growth, and when it adds character.
Read article →Markets & Prices
5 min readGemports GTI Q4 2025: sapphire market enters consolidation phase
The Gemports Sapphire Transaction Index shows flat quarter-on-quarter movement as supply constraints meet cautious buyer demand.
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4 min readGem City Ratnapura 2026 scheduled for late August
Early 2026 planning pointed to an August exhibition window; June briefings later confirmed 31 August to 2 September.
Read article →Buying
5 min readHow to read a listing on this site
Using video, 360° frames, specifications, and descriptions before you inquire.
Read article →Cut
5 min readCut and face-up colour
Why the same rough can look different as oval, cushion, or native cut, and what to check in video.
Read article →Trade & Exports
4 min readGem exports up 8.7% YoY in first four months of 2026
Early 2026 export data points to recovery in formal gem and jewellery shipments as policy reforms and trade events take effect.
Read article →Clarity
5 min readUnderstanding inclusions in sapphire
Silk, feathers, and crystal marks: what is normal in natural Ceylon material and when it matters.
Read article →Treatment
5 min readHeated vs unheated sapphire
What heat treatment does, why most blue sapphire on the market is heated, and how we label it.
Read article →Policy & Regulation
5 min readNGJA revises rough import taxes, removes $200/kg customs charge
Sri 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.
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Markets & Prices
7 min readFine unheated Ceylon royal blue: realistic 2026 per-carat ranges
A practical guide to what certified unheated Ceylon royal blue sapphires actually trade for by size in 2026, and which factors move the number.
Read article →Trade & Exports
5 min readImport tax reversal aims to restore regional processing flows
After 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 readSri Lanka shifts gem import VAT to weight-based calculation
Cabinet approves extraordinary gazette orders so VAT on imported rough is calculated by weight, not declared invoice value.
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4 min readProduct and market diversification behind the $1.2B five-year plan
Officials pair loose gem exports with jewellery, certification services, and new buyer markets to scale foreign revenue.
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4 min readNGJA and Customs tighten joint enforcement on informal trade
Authorities cite enhanced cooperation and technology investment to reduce undeclared gem exports and imports.
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5 min readCeylon unheated sapphires: 5-15% annual appreciation over 10 years
Fine certified unheated Ceylon material has climbed steadily as supply tightens and Asian collector demand grows.
Read article →Opinion & Debate
4 min readBuyers demand lab-certified unheated stones; disclosure gap persists
Growing retail insistence on no-heat papers collides with treatment prevalence and inconsistent seller claims.
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5 min readHow Geuda-class rough export works and what the 25% levy means
NGJA 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 readOpinion: does rough export via auction erode local value addition?
The 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 readMadagascar fine 5ct+ unheated supply down sharply in 2025
Field reporting cites a steep drop in fine large unheated Madagascar sapphire reaching the wholesale market.
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6 min readRough gem export allowed only after unsold local auction
A 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 readFine blue sapphire prices double as unheated supply tightens
Top-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 readAsian collectors drive coloured stone investment in 2025
China, Singapore, and Southeast Asia continue shifting discretionary spend toward documented natural corundum.
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4 min readGem City Ratnapura 2025 opens international buyer floor
The mid-August exhibition in Pelmadulla brings foreign delegations to the gem district alongside a new government trade portal.
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3 min readSri Lanka launches government gem trade portal with GOV PAY
gemcityratnapura.com debuts at the 2025 exhibition as the first state-owned gem and jewellery trade website.
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4 min readUnheated premium now 30-100%+ over heated fine material
Laboratory confirmation of no heat commands widening spreads as the share of unheated rough declines.
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4 min readPadparadscha and lavender fancy colors trend with Asian demand
Fancy colour sapphires gain share as lavender and pink-orange stones attract Chinese and regional buyers.
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5 min readSri Lanka vs Thailand, Dubai, Hong Kong: the cutting hub race
Competing centres absorbed Sri Lankan rough during the import tax crisis; reclaiming hub status requires more than origin mining.
Read article →Trade & Exports
5 min readHow value-based VAT choked Sri Lanka's rough import pipeline
Trade reporting describes near-minimal rough imports for roughly two years after tax changes in 2023 and 2024.
Read article →Origins & Provenance
5 min readCornflower, royal blue, padparadscha: the Ceylon colour spectrum
Sri Lankan corundum spans more hues than the Kashmir blue monoculture, shaping how jewellers build collections.
Read article →Policy & Regulation
4 min readSri Lanka reaffirms ban on foreign-owned gem mining licences
NGJA policy continues to reject mining licences for foreign companies, foreign partnerships, and foreign individuals.
Read article →Origins & Provenance
8 min readKashmir vs Ceylon: access, liquidity, and who each origin serves
Kashmir sapphires command higher per-carat records, but Ceylon offers ongoing supply, clearer certification paths, and practical resale for most buyers.
Read article →Policy & Regulation
3 min readCabinet approves NGJA Act amendment for 2025 legislation programme
Sri 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 readSri Lanka targets $1B gem exports through industry formalization
The National Gem and Jewellery Authority outlines a plan to triple tracked export revenue by pulling informal trade into the formal economy.
Read article →Policy & Regulation
4 min readWhy 90% of Sri Lankan gem exports still move outside formal channels
NGJA leadership says the vast majority of gem exports bypass tracked licensing, limiting export statistics and policy leverage.
Read article →Origins & Provenance
5 min readKashmir sapphire: why the deposit stopped producing in the 1900s
The Paddar mines yielded legendary velvety blues for roughly two decades before commercial production ended.
Read article →Origins & Provenance
4 min readCeylon sapphire: ongoing Ratnapura and Elahera production
Unlike exhausted historical deposits, Sri Lankan alluvial mines still produce corundum weekly for local markets.
Read article →Opinion & Debate
4 min readEthical sourcing: small-scale Sri Lankan mining vs illegal pits
Licensed pit mining and mechanized illegal extraction carry different environmental and community footprints.
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5 min readMining permits hit 7,897 in 2024 as parliament debates oversight
Permit issuance rose sharply from 2020 levels while MPs question environmental damage and illegal pits in Badulla.
Read article →Policy & Regulation
4 min readIllegal mechanized mining in Badulla and abandoned pit closures
Parliamentary scrutiny focuses on unlicensed pits, political interference, and NGJA closure spending.
Read article →Mining & Environment
3 min readNGJA spends Rs. 11M closing abandoned gem pits in 2024
Licensed miners must backfill pits; the authority funds closures when operators abandon sites.
Read article →Mining & Environment
5 min readMechanized mining controversy near Sinharaja forest reserve
Environmental groups and press reports question NGJA licences for mechanized extraction near protected forest buffers.
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