China Fort Gem Market

A large crowd thronged the China Fort Gem Market in Beruwala, which draws more than 2,000 dealers on its main trading days — Wednesdays and Saturdays. The bustling marketplace has become a key centre in the international gem trade, with nearly 40 percent of the gems cut and polished there now originating from African rough stones before being re-exported worldwide. Pix by Pradeep Pathirana