Travel & Sourcing Advice
Expert Gemstone Sourcing, Wherever the Search Takes Us
Travelling to gemstone markets can be exciting, but unfamiliar sellers, pricing and local practices can make buying difficult to navigate.
I provide practical guidance to help you prepare, ask better questions and understand the risks when viewing gemstones in Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Africa or elsewhere.
If you expect to encounter gemstones during your travels, keep my free Gemstone Buying Checklist on your phone. It is designed to help you pause, check the essentials and avoid making a rushed decision.
Practical Travel Advice
How to assess whether a seller appears credible
How to navigate unfamiliar gemstone markets with greater confidence
Practical considerations around transport, customs and protecting your purchase
Questions to Ask About Sourcing
What information is available about where the gemstone came from
What can realistically be known about mining practices and provenance
Which claims should be treated cautiously when evidence is limited
Who Is This For?
This guidance is for travellers, holidaymakers and collectors who expect to encounter gemstones abroad and want to approach sellers, claims and potential purchases with greater care and understanding.
Already Have a Stone in Mind?
Travel Sourcing Advice helps you prepare before visiting gemstone markets and meeting sellers.
If you have already found a gemstone and want an independent opinion before committing, Buyer Protection may be the right next step. This is an in-person service arranged at an agreed location.
As part of the review, I can:
🔎 Examine the gemstone’s apparent quality and condition
🔎 Review any laboratory reports and information provided by the seller
🔎 Identify potential concerns or questions that still need answering
🔎 Consider whether the asking price appears reasonable in context
This gives you an independent perspective rather than relying solely on the seller’s information.
➡️ Explore Buyer Protection
Prepare Before You Buy Abroad
Planning to visit gemstone markets or meet sellers during your travels? I can help you prepare, understand what to ask and approach potential purchases with greater confidence.
Book a conversation before you travel so we can discuss your destination, plans and any particular concerns.
Additional Support
May Swan-Easton, Trusted Travel Planner
For more than 15 years, I have relied on May Swan-Easton to arrange my international travel, including complex itineraries and unexpected changes while I am abroad.
Her personal approach and attention to detail provide reassurance when plans change, particularly when travelling across different time zones or to less familiar destinations.
Clients who would like professional help arranging their own journey can contact May directly to discuss flights, travel planning and the practical details of their trip.
Visit May Swan-Easton’s website for travel planning →
Prefer to begin independently?
My Sri Lanka gemstone guide offers practical, on-the-ground insight for travellers planning to explore the country’s gem trade for themselves.
View the Sri Lanka Guide