In the land of Siṃhala, the people are renowned for their skill in examining pearls. At night, they immerse the pearls in warm, salty, and oily water, a practice that reveals their true nature. A genuine pearl retains its color through this process, and such authenticity is highly prized. Among pearls, those that are very lustrous and well-rounded are considered excellent. The most esteemed pearls are those of proper size, weighty and radiant, white, well-rounded, and possessing a uniform, fine perforation. When all these qualities are found together in a single pearl, it is deemed to have attained perfection. Thus concludes the sixty-ninth chapter of the Ācārakāṇḍa section in the Śrī Garuḍa Mahāpurāṇa, which describes the standards and characteristics by which pearls are examined. The narrative then turns to the sun, of great glory, revered as the supreme source of gems among the gods. The sun, ever victorious in battles among the deities and uplifted by pride in his strength, once saw the hips of a Siṃhalī woman and, startled, sought refuge in the depths of a great lake. From that moment, the river associated with this event became equal to the sacred Gaṅgā in the merit it bestowed upon those who visited it. Thereafter, during the nights, the river’s banks became filled with gems. Beautiful rubies appeared along the shores, and within its waters were found padmarāga gems. These jewels shone with the hues of bandhūka, guñjā, indragopa, and javā flowers, displaying a uniform and splendid color. Their shades were reminiscent of cinnabar, lotus, blue water lily, saffron, and the resin of lac. When touched by the rays of the sun, their brilliance intensified, spreading far and wide through union with its light. The color of these gems was a vivid mixture of safflower red and deep blue, resembling the intense hue of a red lotus. Some gems possessed an appearance in the eyes akin to the essence of the male chakora bird and the kokila. In their brilliance, hardness, and weight, they were generally similar to those produced from crystal. The redness in kuruvinda stones could be seen, though it differed from the redness found in those arising from crystal. Kuruvinda gems born in the Ravana Ganga river carried their distinctive color, both in the Mandhra region and elsewhere. Similarly, gems produced from crystal were found in the region known as Tumburu. The qualities most prized in these gems were excess of color, heaviness, smoothness, and perfect clarity. Conversely, gems marked by cracks, holes, dirt, lacking luster, roughness, or discoloration were considered defective. Any gem displaying only a little of its natural brilliance due to such faults, even if exceedingly beautiful, was sometimes merely an imitation of the five types. Gems produced in the regions of Kalasha, Purodbhava, Simhala, Tumburu, and Muktapani each had their own distinguishing features. The presence of husk gave the Kalasha gem its name, while a coppery hue identified the Tumburu variety. Śrīpūrṇaka was so called because it lacked brilliance; its distinction lay only in the sign of its type. A gem smeared with oil appeared so, and one that was excessively rubbed would lose its luster. When a jewel is obtained, it should be examined according to its qualities, with careful discernment of its nature by weight and merit—even if it comes from the ocean. If any doubt remains, the gem does not perish; instead, it should be tested by rubbing it on a touchstone. Whether it is a diamond or a kuruvinda, this method reveals its true identity. All jewels of the same kind share the same color, never differing in type. A jewel lacking in quality should not be worn, no matter its lineage; only those endowed with virtues are to be accepted. Just as a single outcaste, if placed among twice-born men, can easily destroy many of them without effort, so too can a defective gem bring harm among rivals or through careless behavior. Yet, the afflictions arising from faults do not attack one who is virtuous. Finally, the price of a diamond is determined by its weight, measured in grains of rice, revealing the careful and reverent approach to the examination and valuation of gems in this tradition.