More valuable and bigger gems seem to be unaffected by the financial crisis, but other stones are slowly coming down in price. Traders who have larger stocks of high quality larger stones are wary of lower offers and have practically put up shutters. This has resulted in a slight increase in the available high grade stones, states a news item in the Lanka Gem News.

The day to day income earners in the gem field are selling stones at low prices, sometimes below cost to make ends meet. Richer gem merchants are taking advantage of the situation and buying these stones cheap, paying ready cash. This shows the need for a Gem Bank where small timers can borrow cash, keeping gems as collateral. Unfortunately all ‘Gem Bank’ concepts had been only of academic interest and have not materialized up to now!