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River Sifting Sapphire Mining in Sri Lanka
We continue our journey into Sri Lanka's gem mining. The mining is all in small operations, without the extensive excavations of the alluvial ruby mining at Mogok in Myanmar. Most of the Ratnapura mines are hidden in the forests and adjacent valleys, with very few out in the open paddy fields. Sometimes, a mine can be a complex operation like the 15-pit mine I visited in 2005. Many people were involved, including some of the miners' wives and daughters, who performed tasks like transporting lumber, bringing clean baskets and sacks, being in charge of the kitchen, and so on.
In addition to shaft/pit mining, Sri Lankan miners find gemstones in streams and rivers. Throughout time, seismic movement of the earth loosened up the upper ground, and then the rains and other natural phenomena transported it to streams and rivers. These are the so-called "alluvial deposits." Local miners call stones found in streams and rivers "river stones." A peculiar tradition wants that big Ratnapura dealers, back in the 1970s and 1980s, were throwing back into the waters of Kalu Ganga, one of the four major rivers of Sri Lanka, collected rough sapphires in white, yellow, and other "odd" colors because there was no demand for those (colors) in the international market. :)
Kalu Ganga (Sinhala: කළු ගඟ literally: Black River) originates from Sri Pada Peak Wilderness Sanctuary, reaching the sea at Kalutara after a 129 km (80 mi) journey. The Black River flows through the Ratnapura and the Kalutara District and passes the city of Ratnapura.
There is a beautiful, painted mural at the office of our Marapana miner friend. It portrays the river mining, gravel washing, and cutting processes that Sri Lankans have used and are still using today since unmemorable times.
This is a great video by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) about gem mining in Sri Lanka. It is very informative and visually well done, and it gives you a better idea of the extreme working conditions and collective effort of miners in a Sri Lankan sapphire mine. A section of this 8-minute video is devoted to river mining.
Credit: GIA