Gem Museum in Colombo

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comments 5

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  Bob Myers

  :: 27 February 2018 12:25:44

  Very competent and authoritative staff, friendly, honest advice ... staff did not push for sales ... very good rates/prices!!

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  anup sriram

  :: 14 February 2018 11:45:22

  It's a shop and not a museum. All guides take you there as they get paid to take you there. It's simply a private shop selling jewels and paying commission to guides and tour agencies who bring tourists there. Save your time and money.

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  Amith Sriram

  :: 13 February 2018 12:56:53

  Tourist trap alert! The name “Gem Museum” is a misnomer. It’s a jeweller’s and not anywhere close to being called a museum. Setting up a tiny depiction of a mine doesn’t qualify something to be called itself a gem museum, no matter how much the owner tries to defend the claim by appealing to the amount they invested in creating what they call “a piece of art”. The owner’s claim that it is for educational purpose doesn’t make any sense either. It is evident to all that the naming is to deceive tourists into believing that it is a museum, while it is a shop selling gems, with all tour operators getting commission to take tourists there. Their frustration of being exposed in these reviews is shown in the form of frantic efforts by the owner to justify the “museum” naming. Just look at the rude replies given by them in response to those reviews in which visitors have decently pointed out that it’s not a museum but a shop, and that it is a tourist trap. I’m sure the owner will come up with some lame excuse to this review as well, let alone being rude. It’s ironic that they rudely ask such visitors to be polite in their reviews. Our guide from Hayleys conceded that he receives commission for taking people there, though I am not aware whether Hayleys approves of this. In one of the replies, the owner justifies his method saying that in places like the London Tower Castle, visitors pay an entrance fee but yet there’s merchandise sold there, and that he doesn’t charge an entrance fee. Oh, how generous of the owner to not charge an entrance fee to enter his museum!! Is the owner not aware that the London Castle Tower is a landmark historical monument, while his is a private jewel shop? Is he underestimating the intelligence of the visitors by comparing his method with that done at historical sites? We aren’t that naïve to buy that argument. A private shop is NOT a museum. And paying guides to bring people to your shop, telling them that they are being taken to a museum, is deception.

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  Snehasish Das

  :: 25 January 2018 14:42:37

  Not exactly a museum! It's basically a shop and the guys who are there to take you on a "tour" are only interested in selling their merchandise. Worth a visit only if you are interested in buying gems / jewellery.... nothing educational like a museum is expected to be!

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  Benjamin Lau

  :: 24 August 2017 15:25:52

  Yes it is a tourist trap. This place mainly sells semi precious stones, gems and jewellery. They try to make it look somewhat educational by having displays of how stones are refined and even had the stairway look like you're entering a mine. They carry variety of gems and typically in Sri Lanka, various types of sapphire. There's even a small tea coffee and spice section where they whisk you off to if they can't get you to buy gems. Tea and coffee here look old and somewhat dubious so I'll recommend you avoid buying any here as there are plenty of refined teas stores around. Guides and drivers might bring you here so they get paid a little but the guys here are just trying to make a living as of everyone else and besides, they're not that pushy and are friendly even though you explicitly say that you will not be buying anything. You can just browse around and if something is really fancies you, negotiate on the price. Otherwise think of it entirely as a Sri Lankan experience also ;)