Ratnapura gem market street trading: early morning pavement negotiations on Main Street?

The morning gem market in Ratnapura operates along the open pavements of Main Street and Demuwawatha between 6:30 AM and 9:00 AM. Miners and smallholders bring rough stones directly from night pit washings. Buyers inspect stones using natural morning sunlight rather than artificial lamps: they place rough corundum pebbles on white paper cards or hold them between fingertips against direct sun rays to evaluate internal color saturation, Silk silkiness, and fracture planes. Transactions are negotiated through traditional finger-pressure codes hidden beneath a handkerchief or towel.