A Sri Lankan Discovery
Ekanite is a rare gemstone first identified from Sri Lanka's gem gravels in the 1950s and named after F. L. D. Ekanayake, the Sri Lankan gem dealer who discovered it. It's a genuine "named-in-Sri-Lanka" gem and a prize for serious collectors.
What It Looks Like
Ekanite is typically green to brownish-green (sometimes reddish), translucent to transparent, with a hardness around 6–6.5. Cut stones can show an attractive glassy lustre.
An Unusual Property: Metamictisation
Ekanite contains thorium and uranium, making it mildly radioactive. Over geological time this radiation breaks down its own crystal structure — a process called metamictisation — so the mineral is often found in a partly "amorphous" (glass-like) state rather than perfectly crystalline. Because of the radioactivity, it's treated as a display/collector specimen rather than an everyday jewellery stone.
Why Collectors Want It
- Rarity — facetable ekanite is scarce.
- Sri Lankan heritage — discovered and named on the island.
- Scientific interest — a textbook example of a metamict mineral.
See the Gem Country
Explore where Sri Lanka's rare gems come from — browse Ratnapura accommodation and the Island of Gems overview.