About us
Precision Lapidaries Circa 1888
With over 200 years of gem mining Ceylon history behind him, founder, adventurer and pioneer Mohamed Usuff Mohamed Salie AKA Prince MUM Salie born in 1865 in the port city of Galle to a family of skilled artisan lapidarists embarked on an audacious journey circa 1885, sailing on a ship from Galle to Melbourne, Australia that would take the iconic Ceylon sapphire from mine to markets of the world.
Five generations on, we continue to stay true to our founder’s passion for innovation, precision and our ethical artisanal heritage.
Ceylon Sapphires of all colours
We are among the largest exporters of calibrated and single-piece Ceylon sapphires to the world and supply some of the largest sapphire distributors globally.
Board of Directors
Faiq Rehan Salie
Managing Director
Bazeer Cassim
Director
Sabieha Rehan
International Marketing
Tahera Rehan
Marketing Communications
Material
Sourcing
Our trained rough buyers source directly from independent, artisan local miners and rough dealers. We also purchase ethically sourced rough stones from Madagascar and African countries based on demand.
Attention to key aspects of quality begins from the sourcing stage to ensure we consistently meet the demands of our discerning clientele.
Precision
Cutting
Based in Colombo, our state-of-the-art facility has made us known internationally for producing the highest quality cuts.
Employing both skill and sophisticated technology our 100-member strong certified master cutters produce some of the finest gems that adorn the creations of several leading international designer jewellery brands.
Precision
Cutting
Based in Colombo, our state-of-the-art facility has made us known internationally for producing the highest quality cuts.
Employing both skill and sophisticated technology our 150-member strong certified master cutters produce some of the finest gems that adorn the creations of several leading international designer jewellery brands.
Faiq Cut
Faiq Cut, named after the fourth in line to head the business, Faiq Rehan Salie is credited with evolving his family business to a global leader in precision-cut calibrated sapphires. The skills he learned in precise calibrated diamond cutting as an intern at his renowned gem exporter Uncle Nilam Alawdeen’s diamond-cutting factory in Sri Lanka, were adapted to Ceylon sapphires, to produce remarkable sapphires that meet the strictest tolerances of proportion, facet symmetry, calibrated size tolerances, proportion variations and polish, worthy of the finest jewel houses of the world.
Honours and Accreditation
International Coloured Stone Association (ICA)
Member since 2005
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
Our lapidary is one of the few featured on Gemological Institute of America's (GIA) website, demonstrating our precise calibration, cutting and polishing process.
National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA) of Sri Lanka
In 2004 the National Achiever Award was presented to Natural Sapphires Ceylon Pvt Ltd, an associate company of Precision Lapidaries, for its contribution to the national economy.
