Sri Lanka is your source for Heat treated and Untreated Blue Sapphires, Ruby. As a producing Country we supply some of the best blue Sapphires around. Sizes range from 0.2 carat to HUGE 120 carat pieces in fine quality.

This message is to everyone but particularly to those in the UK as it is easier for me to relate to you from a gem-buying point of view as I have always bought gemstones locally before....

I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Sri Lanka. What a beautiful country! I actually went for a friend's wedding (she is originally from Sri Lanka but came over to England before school age) and decided that as Sri Lanka is so rich in
gemstones, perhaps it would be a good idea to combine this with a bit of gem buying. I am a commission jeweller, not a gem dealer so was particularly looking for lots of choice and good value high quality stones. You may remember that I posted a request for help looking for a good and trustworthy gem dealer. Thank you to those of you who replied suggesting and recommending Ahmed Shareek. Several friendly e-mails later we arranged to meet up at our hotel in Sri Lanka (sounds so glamorous doesn't it). Ahmed Shareek took us out for a wonderful day. We went to watch
moonstone mining which was fascinating as well as looking round some museums near an old Dutch Fort in the south of the country and a few other things along the way. We also decided to meet up again as he suggested going to a gem show together in Colombo. This was very interesting and I met a few other good jewellery industry contacts there too. We also took the time to have a bit of a look round Colombo together. Ahmed Shareek even drove us
all the way back to our hotel 4 hours away so that we could stay later - so he really is a very generous host! We had a wonderful look around the rest of the country whilst we were there doing everything from visiting the elephant orphanage to visiting tea plantations. The cultural sites in and around Dambulla are fascinating. The wedding was also great by the way! I bought lots of lovely stones from Ahmed Shareek which I am delighted with .Sapphires, rubies, aquamarines, blue moonstones, white moonstones, garnets, amethysts and lots of others. Great cuts, good quality stones and a great variety to choose from. Really great prices too which helps! So much better value and variety than I have known before. Thank you also to this network without which I would not have been able to be confident in finding such a great contact. Unfortunately in Sri Lanka there are many unscrupulous gem dealers trying to rip off the tourists - they see a white skin and don't take any notice of whether you know what you are looking at or not - they just see dollar signs! Of course I hope I would not have been fooled by false gemstones but think that it would have been impossible to find somebody offering me good honest wholesale rates without Ganoksin Online.
So thank you to everyone for this. As a businessman, Ahmed Shareek is really fighting against a lot of difficulties in his country where he sometimes feels that his hands are tied by a third world mentality holding up his progress. As for the stones - they are great. He can even get stones custom cut for you. His prices are excellent and I strongly recommend him. If you can't spare the time and money for a holiday in Sri Lanka (!) why not try logging onto his site and ordering from there? I wish I had done this long ago.

Ahmed shareek's website is http://www.ahmeds.com/shop/ and is a really good site - definitely worth a good look! His company is called Crescent Gems.

If any of you are planning a holiday to Sri Lanka don't hesitate to e-mail me off line for more details and recommendations of hotels etc.

Best wishes,
Harriet, Hitchin, UK

I wanted to take a moment to share the wonderful experience my husband had in Sri Lanka courtesy of orchid member Ahmed Shareek. Some months ago I inquired about a reputable stone dealer in Sri Lanka - immediately I received 5 or more orchid responses - sort of like a Greek chorus - saying Ahmed Shareek. I was familiar with his name from the list but didn't realize he was in Sri Lanka. I had anticipated my husband would be traveling to Sri Lanka in April - it was cancelled. Meanwhile I purchased some stones via the internet from Ahmed and was very happy with them. My husband finally went in August and just returned - it was a State Dept. trip unrelated to gems and jewelry but at Ahmed's invitation, he called Ahmed and was given the royal treatment - he took him shopping, showed him around, introduced him to restaurants, gem and antique jewelry dealers, etc - it was absolutely wonderful!! Ahmed was extremely generous with him time and information and of course, I am happy because I am now the proud owner of some new gems and some antique jewelry - Thank
you, thank you, thank you!!

Ahmed invited people to visit him in Sri Lanka - I highly recommend it, and him, if you can possibly go.

Dear Orchidians,

I just came back from a short gem-buying trip in Sri Lanka, where I met Ahmed Shareek. We had a good time going to the Gem City of Ratnapura, looked at lots of nice stones and had great buying experience. "Sri Lanka is a land like no other", says the logo of the Sri Lankan tourist board. It is true in every sense, Visitors are still few, stones are plenty - beaches are long, and food is spicy. Ahmed was there for me with his patience, knowledge and unparalleled generosity. If you thought of Sri lankan stones or going to Sri-Lanka, Ahmed Shareek <sales@crescentgems.com> is your man.

Thank you, and Merry Xmas to you all.
Hemi Englisher
Gemcal Co. Ltd. - The Spinel Source
Booth 1102 GLDX Tucson