COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's centuries-old reputation as a source of some of the world's finest gemstones is once again in the spotlight, with rare sapphires and rubies from the island set to feature in one of the most extraordinary treasure collections ever discovered.
The renowned "Cheapside Hoard", a priceless collection of nearly 500 gemstones, jewels and precious objects unearthed in London more than a century ago, will go on permanent display next month at the London Museum's new Goldsmiths' Gallery.
The collection, regarded as one of the finest surviving assemblages of Elizabethan and Jacobean jewellery ever discovered, contains precious stones sourced from across the globe, highlighting the extensive international trade networks that connected Europe with Asia and other regions hundreds of years ago.
Among the treasures are sapphires, spinels, diamonds and rubies originating from India and Sri Lanka, alongside nephrite jade from China, turquoise from Persia, pearls, opals and a range of historically significant gemstones and jewellery.
The hoard was discovered in 1912 when a workman excavating the floor of a cellar at 30-32 Cheapside in historic London struck what appeared to be a decayed wooden box. The cellar had reportedly remained unopened for around 270 years.
Inside were hundreds of precious artefacts, including an elaborate gold watch set within a large Colombian emerald and an important collection of antique gems. One of the most remarkable items is a carving of the head of a Ptolemaic queen, believed to have been created in Egypt between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.
