The 28 year old civil war in Sri Lanka has finally ended!  The Sri Lankan government, against all odds, was able to militarily defeat the dreaded LTTE under the leadership of the current President.  Claimed by many to be the most ruthless and best organized terrorist organization in the world to date, the head of the Tigers has been removed and peace now engulfs the entire island for the past couple years.  Peace has returned to this idyllic country after decades of conflict and strife, now making this a wonderful time to discover and explore this exotic, unique country.

Fortunately most of Sri Lanka was only indirectly affected by the conflict because the conflict was mostly confined to the north and east which are the only areas of Sri Lanka with concentrated Tamil populations. Ratnapura is in the southwest. Thousands of foreigners continue living in Sri Lanka safely.

I am an American originally from New York, and college educated on the east coast. With over 25 years of firsthand experience of living, working and dealing in Sri Lanka, I can assure you your visit will be safe, productive and highly interesting as you are immersed into the exotic world of gems, at their source!

I have been involved in every aspect of gemology including: designing and running a jungle mining operation; field research for the G.I.A.; contributor to Gems and Gemology magazine; all aspects of analytical field gemology; gem faceting and marketing.

This is a truly unique opportunity to experience the old style British colonial ways in the settings of the gem infested tropical suburbs of Ratnapura.