Sri Lanka Destination Experts. So good so far, but after that you see some old men climbing down into a big hole and an other one washing some stones, where 2 moonstine's are shining bright. Rates from USD $16. Distance from Galle is 31 km and from Bentota 34 km. In Arab countries, some women sewed moonstone into their undergarments, as symbols of fertility. 10 km North of Hikkaduwa is a village Meetiyagoda that famous worldwide for its large moonstone mining. The guide yelled to the pit, voice answered and we got so lucky when they "found" moonstones right then when we were visiting. The more blue the adularescence, the higher the value of a moonstone. It's a Not chosen size geocache, with difficulty of 2, terrain of 2.5. Moonstone occurs in wide variety of colors such as white, gray, green, pink, blue, orange, yellow and brown. We arrived to parking lot and immidiately our "guide" arrived to help us and tell us about the "mine" and how they grow cinnamon. The chemical name is Sodium potassium aluminium silicate, with the formula (Na,K)AlSi3O8. ... Sri Lanka Day Tours; Sri Lankan moonstones are of highest value due to their dark blue reflection. more, Browse our largest collection of experiences, No stress transit for your arrival and departure, Canal View Hikkaduwa Sri Lankan Homemade Food Restaurant. Photo about Looking down into the moonstone mine in Sri Lanka. Chemical formula of Moonstone is (Na,Ca)Al₁₋₂Si₃₋₂O₈, KAlSi₃O₈ and mineral class is orthoclase. Distance from Hikkaduwa – 11.2 km (19 minutes) Moonstone Mines are situated in the coastal village of Meetiyagoda which is just a couple of kilometers from the coast, in between Ambalangoda and Hikkaduwa. Pick up a blue moonstone anywhere in the world, and the chances are that this beautiful gemstone would have come from a small village in southwest Sri Lanka – Meetiyagoda – where it is mined in a few primitive waterlogged pits, by hand, as it has been since 1906. The area has been popular for moonstone mining where the mines are muddy holes, 6 meters or 7 meters long. Moonstone has been mined in these sweltering forests forever and the moonstone mines, little more than muddy rabbit holes, 6m or 7m long, are fascinating – as is the process of filtering out the precious stones and polishing them ready for sale. How are tourists impacted by Public Holidays; Show More . In China, the moonstone is said to balance Yin and Yang. Lanka Excursions Holidays office hours 8.00 to 9.30 p.m. daily (except from June Fullmoon Day), all rights reserved, © 2016 Lanka Excursion Holidays. First of all, you will see the pitch of the mine and the filtering out of the precious stones and the workshops of the lapidaries.

If you are looking to explore a colonial city and gain some unique experience & memories with enjoying some extra unique activities & attractions then this is the most identical and famous tour for that. Natural Moonstone Mine Address: Kahawa- Batapola road, Meetiyagoda, Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka ; Natural Moonstone Mine Contact Number: 0094-777750187 ; Natural Moonstone Mine Timing: 08:00 am - 06:00 pm ; Try the best online travel planner to plan your travel … If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. We told that we didnt have money with us ( we had like 20$ left) - the guide told that our driver would come with us to hotel to get our credit card. First you see nice cinemon trees, where the tour guide explains you all about cinemon trees. Drivers and tuktuk drivers know about this place and they get their share of the profits if they take you to this place.

Attractions & Activities –
• Bentota River Boat Safari
• Turtle Conservation Project
• Tsunami Temple
• Herbal Garden (option)
• Wood Carving Centre & Gallery
• Moonstone Gem Mining Centre (option)
• Dutch Fort Galle
• Stilt Fishermen in Koggala

Key Details
• Tour Starts at 9.00 am from the pick-up point
• Pick up from anywhere from Bentota and its' surrounding. Probably best to try and avoid the hard sell altogether and walk out after seeing the mine and small museum. I said we've had enough and we rushed out to parking lot, the guide followed us to the car. Like many gems found in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and Myanmar (formerly Burma), moonstone most often occurs as pebbles and irregular masses in gem-gravels and clay-deposits. But don't expect too much. Meetiyagoda is situated 4km from Galle Road and 10 km north of Hikkaduwa. SAVE UP TO 75% OFF hotels near Attractions in Bentota. Moonstone Mine of Sri Lanka The moonstone is characterised by an enchanting play of light. Meetiyagoda is famous for its moonstone mines. The largest source is Africa, but almost all moonstones of African production are inferior due to a yellowish skin colour. It's basically a shop and you can look at some people working on the stones as well. This is fortunate, because the material is usually well-cut and very attractive. Moonstone has been mined in these sweltering forests forever and the moonstone mines, little more than muddy rabbit holes, 6m or 7m long, are fascinating – as is the process of filtering out the precious stones and polishing them ready for sale. After that we were taken to the shop right next to workshop. Antiperthite and anorthoclase may show schiller similar to moonstone and have been lumped together with true moonstone due to lack of a less generic name. A popular name for pearly and opalescent microcline although some moonstone could be orthoclase, but data are few.Frequently improperly applied to peristerite variety of plagioclase. In India, the magical moonstone is believed to bring about sweet dreams and good fortune for those who wear it. We considered going to the mines for a look. Finishing the tour, youre going to a big shop, where everything looks clean and nice. Head inland 7km to Mitiyagoda and you can descend (not literally) into the mucky world of mining – 18th-century style! We didn't buy anything because of the prices and after that our tour guide couldn't see us into the eyes. After short walk to Cinnamon garden our. Sizes. Hotels near (CMB) Bandaranayake Intl Airport, Adrenaline & Extreme Tours in Ambalangoda, Historical & Heritage Tours in Ambalangoda, Self-Guided Tours & Rentals in Ambalangoda, Canyoning & Rappelling Tours in Ambalangoda, Points of Interest & Landmarks in Ambalangoda, From snorkel to surfing—no expertise necessary, All ashore for easy trips straight from port, Flexible itineraries and personal experiences, Your ship’s come in for waterside trips and more. ... How to handle/exchange money in Sri Lanka? Moonstone Mine of Sri Lanka (GC253WF) was created by darth_maul_3 on 3/15/2010. The Meetiyagoda Moonstone Mine (near "Moonstone No. Thinner layers of alternating silicates refract more attractive sheens, whereas thick layers of silicates produce less colourful sheens. Our Natural Moonstone Mine is located at Meetiyagoda –Southern Province Sri Lanka. If you want to understand how moonstone was found in a cinnamon plantation and then a hand made shaft constructed to extract the stone then this offers a very good explanation of the process. We were stupid to listen him. word ‘moonstone’ is a roughly translated word from the Sinhalese word ‘Sandakada Pahana We said that's not going to happen. Meetiyagoda is a small village in Southwest of Sri Lanka. Galle Day Trip is one of the most popular outdoor activates for the travelers in Sri Lanka. Moonstone mines are located in Ambalangoda (Meetiyagoda), Sri Lanka, LankaExplorer Holidays has included moonstone tour in several tour packages. The fanciful name „moonstone“ was coined by the Greek, who associated this rare shining stone with lunar deities such as Selene and Isis. Ambalangoda. Meetiyagoda is situated 4km from Galle Road and 10 km north of Hikkaduwa. I am not much into jewellery, but might have bought a trinket or two as a memory. Its basically the same story as all other horror stories here.. Mining moonstone is nearly always a manual process but there are several different ways in which stones can be collected: In one method, miners dig deep narrow holes in the earth, lowering themselves by rope to the bottom. Photo by Wouter Hagens. Although sales of jewellery are the main purpose of it, a guided tour at the main mine in the adjacent village of Domanwila can be recommended, as  you will not only be invited to the exhibition rooms. These tunnel walls constructions are specialized work item,“ Wire fern (Kakilla) and Jungle hard timber (Kala lee) with Coconut tree plank (Pol Lalee) “ are used for this work and mining labors are well experience to those wall constructions. Checking out the moonstone mine reviews though, there are several who have been pushed into buying moonstones at the mines and later have them identified as fake by jewelers at home. The conditions would have been bad even in 1800's and its 2020.
• Drop off at the pick-up point or any place in between Galle and the pick-up point. Answer 1 of 8: The older posts about moonstones and mines were closed, so I add my questions here. We considered going to the mines for a look. Meetiyagoda Moonstone Mine in Sri Lanka. moonstone mines in sri lanka Sri Lanka is famous for its gems, one of which is the moonstone. Meetiyagoda, also spelt „Mitiyagoda“, is situated in only 4 km distance from the ocean, 10 km north of Hikkaduwa. Sri Lanka Moonstone is a fine-quality semi-precious gemstone sourced from the Meetiyagoda mines in Sri Lanka. Ambalangoda Travel Guide Flights to Ambalangoda Things to do in Ambalangoda Natural Moonstone Mine Car Rentals Natural Moonstone Mine Vacations Sri Lanka … Moonstone mine, Meetiyagoda, Sri Lanka. This pale blue, almost transparent, stone is a type of feldspar known as adularia – the way the stone shimmers when it moves is known as adularescence. It’s famous for Sri Lankan largest Moonstone mines. Rings Forever Just in Leading jewelry inspirational design give both her roots and the beauty of the south SHOP NOW Best Collection Engagement Engagement & Wedding lightweight satin golden in mint off white featuring mock. Image of mineral, stone, industry - 34286904 However, as others have said be careful of the shop. "guide" ( very friendly ) began to tell about their operation and showed how they mine the moonstone. So the end of the story, it's ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. Public Domain. Moonstone Mine In Sri Lanka. ... How to handle/exchange money in Sri Lanka? intelligent to realize, that this is only for tourists and they don't get some new stones out of the ground. Meetiyagoda is a small village in Southwest of Sri Lanka. Our driver told us about this place and kept telling how awesome place this is. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in Canada. Visit gemdat.org for gemological information about Moonstone. Show less . Indian moonstones are mined in Bagjunt and Ghorunjee in the state of Jharkand and in Kangeyam and Karur in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Was quite a nice tour to see the working mine shaft and learn a bit more above the gemstones and minerals of the area. Then our guide took us to see how they make jewellery from the moonstone in their workshop. It’s famous for Sri Lankan largest Moonstone mines. to get trip updates and message other travelers. The classic finding place in ancient Europe was the Swiss area of St. Gotthard, then known as Mount Adular. This highly demanded calming gemstone has been adored by people for ages. There are better places for jewellery. EXPLOR NOW Innovative and Trendy Jewellery Just in Competitive prices while maintaining highest finishing and raw material quality. Meetiyagoda is famous for its moonstone mines. Myanmar, formerly known as Birma, has by far the most moonstone mines. They are situated in Pyin-Oo-Lwin District near Mandalay, at Mogok city, which is also famous for the world‘s best ruby stones. Moonstone Mine Sri Lanka Meetiyagoda Moonstone Mine. Checking out the moonstone mine reviews though, there are several who have been pushed into buying moonstones at the mines and later have them identified as fake by jewelers at home. It is such a shame that this so often feels like a hard sell and spoils what went before. It can be a deep flame blue in the case of Sri Lankan moonstones. Moonstone is a variety of the Adular belonging to the feldspar group of minerals. Only a fraction of a percent of Indian moonstones rival the very best Sri Lankan ones. Galle Day Trip is one of the most popular outdoor activates for the travelers in Sri Lanka. This sheen is usually white. The optical phenomenon of cloudy moonlight sheen is caused by light diffraction due to alternating layers of orthoclase and albite. But after this sought material has essentially been mined out in Myanmar, Meetiyagoda in Sri Lanka can claim to be today‘s number one moonstone mine, although blue moonstone has becoming increasingly rare here, too. After short walk to Cinnamon garden our "guide" (very friendly) began to tell about their operation and showed how they They valued moonstones as talismans for lovers in particular. After short mine presentation the guide took us to see their cinnamon operation and told how they are making spices. Moonstones are part of the semi-precious category, but they are a significant part of the gem company. Apart from the Alps, deposits of moonstone occur near Jelenia Gora in Poland, in the fiord region of Larvik in Norway, in Lemmenjoki National Park in Finland, at Lake Sevan in Armenia, in Kashi (Kashgar) Prefecture of Xinjiang Autonomus Region in China, near Nanto city in Japan, in the Central Desert Region and in Blackbraes National Park in Australia, and in Chihuahua state in Mexico, in North Carolina and few other states of the USA. Unlike moonstones, producing in India and Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lankan moonstones has their characteristic blue sheen. gemstone shop. Our driver was visibly disappointed that we didnt buy. Meetiyagoda, also spelt „Mitiyagoda“, is situated in only 4 km distance from the ocean, 10 km north of Hikkaduwa. But what's so highly estimated, is more the adularescence of moonstones than their colour. I asked how their operation works and many answers didnt make any sense, the guide was supposed to be the "boss" but he didnt know how the company works. Ambalangoda Tourism Ambalangoda Holiday Rentals Ambalangoda Packages Ambalangoda Pictures Ambalangoda Map Ambalangoda Guide All Ambalangoda Hotels Sri Lankan moonstones are of highest value due to their dark blue reflection. The gem industry's finest and most abundant moonstone sources are in Sri Lanka, India, and Myanmar. Dont go to any moonstone mines and if u want jewellery, buy from big city stores. Galle Day Trip is organized by Shiran Tours for the tourists who stay at Bentota and its' surrounding. Show less . Moonstone Mine –Meetiyagoda is known for its valuable gems and moonstones. The prices are extortionate and I'm not convinced of how genuine the stones are - even though you get a. certificate, is it worth the paper it's written on. Guide was pushy at us, because we were supposed to buy 350$ ring and god knows how much else. Moonstone is a colorless semiprecious stone of different degrees of transparency with a strong blue sheen. It's located in Sri Lanka. However, this adoration of this fascinating gemstone has led it to be exploited for illicit uses. How are tourists impacted by Public Holidays; Show More . That was ok, even though the price was quite high for small amount of cinnamon. The moonstone's body colour ranges from white to gray, brown, yellow, orange, or green. Sri Lanka is the most world’s most important source of fine quality Moonstones. I found it really interesting but the inevitable end of the tour involves a trip to the. The Romans believed moonstone to arouse sensitivity and love. It is 27m deep and have two horizontal tunnels inside. These guys are scammers! The guides do not push you to give a tip. Historically, the most valuable moonstones with strong blue sheen are from Myanmar. You don't have to be very. Words and Photographs David Blacker Moonstones on display by size and colour Although sales of jewellery are the main purpose of it, a guided tour at the main mine in the adjacent village of Domanwila can be recommended, as you will not only be invited to the exhibition rooms. After that he asked that if we would like to buy some, as they are local. We told no but the guide insisted that we should buy as they were "top quality" etc. See all. Moonstone is rare in both large size and fine quality, but Indian material with strong body color is abundant and very inexpensive. I am not much into jewellery, but might have bought a trinket or two as a memory. The bodies of the most precious moonstones are transparent. 1" workshops and showrooms) is situated 11 km north of Hikkaduwa by road. Log in to get trip updates and message other travelers. 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And Myanmar countries, some women sewed moonstone into their undergarments, symbols.

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