Sri Lanka is a world-renowned source of fine sapphires. Formerly known as Ceylon, Sri Lanka has been lauded as the “Island of Gems” for centuries. It is believed that Sri Lanka is the oldest source of sapphires. While being most famous for its “Ceylon Sapphires”, Sri Lanka is also one of the most well-known origins of fancy colored sapphires and a large array of other colored gemstones including alexandrite, star ruby, and star sapphire.