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Sri Lanka was affectionately known as Ratna-Dweepa which means Gem Island. The name is a reflection of its natural wealth. Marco Polo wrote that the island had the best sapphires, topazes, amethysts, and other gems in the world. [1] Ptolemy, the 2nd century astronomer recorded that beryl and sapphire were
Serendibite is an extremely rare silicate mineral that was first discovered in 1902 in Sri Lanka by Dunil Palitha Gunasekera and named after Serendib, the old Arabic name for Sri Lanka. The mineral is found in skarns associated with boron metasomatism of carbonate rocks where intruded by granite.
Sinhalite is a borate mineral with formula MgAl(BO 4). [2] Sinhalite was first found in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in 1952, and was named from Sinhala - the Sanskrit name for Sri Lanka. [3] Gemstone quality Sinhalite can also be found in Madagascar, Tanzania and Myanmar (Burma).
Ekanite is an uncommon silicate mineral with chemical formula Ca 2 ThSi 8 O 20 or (Ca,Fe,Pb) 2 (Th,U)Si 8 O 20. It is a member of the steacyite group. It is among the few gemstones that are naturally radioactive. Most ekanite is mined in Sri Lanka, although deposits also occur in Russia and North America.
Serendibite was discovered in Sri Lanka by Sunil Palitha Gunasekera in 1902 and named after Serendib, the old Arabic name for Sri Lanka. Zektzerite was discovered by Bart Cannon in 1968 on Kangaroo Ridge near Washington Pass in Okanogan County, Washington, USA. The mineral was named in honor of mathematician and geologist Jack Zektzer, who ...
Helium is present, and the mineral is slightly less radioactive than pitchblende, [8] but is harder to shield due to its high energy gamma rays. It is common in the alluvial gem-gravels of Sri Lanka, where it occurs mostly as water worn, small, heavy, black, cubic crystals.
Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as ...
The gem was mined in the city of Ratnapura, southern Sri Lanka. [17] The Black Star of Queensland , the second largest star sapphire in the world, weighs 733 carats . [ 18 ] The Star of India mined in Sri Lanka and weighing 563.4 carats is thought to be the third-largest star sapphire, and is currently on display at the American Museum of ...