admin The Sri Lanka lapidary industry is world famous for its high-quality polishing and cutting techniques. It is recognised as one of the best cutting areas in the world. The Sri Lankan lapidary industry is home to highly skilled craftsmen, who are skilled in retaining the natural hue and color of a stone.
Gems have been an integral part of Sri Lankan history for over thousands of years. The skill, or art, of gem cutting could be dated back centuries. The beauty and skill of cutting stones in Sri Lanka lies in the traditional handmade techniques that have been passed on from generations.
Since its artistic, yet modest, beginnings, the lapidary industry has advanced significantly. The rise in international demand has required the industry to change up from the traditional method of gem cutting, like the ‘Hanapoorowa’, a traditional, hand driven, gem cutting machine that is used to perfectly shape the stone, to a more large-scale, sophisticated process with the introduction of more high-tech machinery.
The lapidary industry holds extremely high standards, making its precision cutting techniques most sought after in the international luxury watch industry. Luxury watches that adorn gems cut and shaped in Sri Lanka are a steadily growing sector. This is due to the fact that their intricate and precise skills are still the best.
As the lapidary industry consists of multiple segments like cutting, polishing, color enhancement, among other things, it has opened up a lot of job opportunities. Out of these, color enhancement has particularly increased the popularity of this industry.
Even though the industry has numerous strengths, it is also faced with many issues. Chief among them is the fact that Sri Lanka doesn’t export gems to their full potential. Over the years, the increase in demand for gem cutting has created a shortage of trained labor, which has made it difficult for the industry to keep up with the production demands it faces. On top of that, the infrastructure developed and finance provided to the industry are significantly low, resulting in a lack of technology and high-tech machinery available for production.
As an industry, our focus is to build Sri Lanka’s standing in the global gem cutting industry as a leader in gem cutting and other services,” said Sri Lanka Gem and Jewelry Association (SLGJA) Lapidary Segment Vice Chairman Pinsiri Wijepala.
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