The world famous rarest gemstones are from Sri Lanka

Among the Several world famous rare gems, Sri Lanka's blue sapphire Weighing 466 carats. the largest known sapphire in the world. Other famous rare gems include the Blue giant of the Orient, Weighing nearly 500 carats and the bluebell of Asia, which weighs in at 400 carats. The renowned Sri Lankan Star sapphire is on permanent display at the Museum of Natural History in New York, but due to an oversight, the stone has been called the star of India. The Great Aqua of Sri Lanka, with a weight of 1,890 carats in the rough is the largest gem found in the island. This aquamarine yielded a sparkling rare gem of 946 carats, which became part of a royal collection when acquired by a Saudi prince.

Throughout history Sri Lanka's gems and jewelry have adorned the crown jewels of many royal families. A very-very rare gem- a 105 carat cat's eye- discovered in a paddy field in Sri Lanka, gained fame among the royalty of Britain and was Successively Admired by Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and Queen Elizabeth.

Alexandrite, the rarest gem in the world is Sri Lanka it was first ound in the Urals in 1830 and is named after czar Alexander II who come of age on the day it was found. This stone shines green in natural light but turns raspberry red in artificial light.

The cat's eye is another stone which is considered valuable and rare. It derives its name from fact that a silvery line runs across its greenish-gray surface, giving it a remarkable resemblance to the eye of a cat. The rarest type is the black cat's eye.