Mong Hsu & Mogok Rubies
Some of the world's finest sapphires, rubies and spinels have been found in the Mogok Stone Tract of the high-altitude (4,000 feet) Mogok Valley, and the Mong Hsu Stone Tract in northern Myanmar (Burma). The name "Mogok" is derived from the Burmese word Bamar Moegokesetwaing or "horizon." In the 4,800 square kilometer area that comprises the Mogok Valley, there are over 1000 ruby and sapphire mines. Burmese Ruby is prized for its famous Pigeon's Blood red color.
Due to Burma's recent political instability, and over-mining, Burmese ruby production and distribution have declined substantially. In the early 1990s, the Thai border towns of Mae Sai, Mae Hong Son, and Mae Sot were the main entry points for smuggled Mogok and Mong Hsu sapphires and rubies coming from Burma's Shan State. In 1995 the Myanmar government cracked down on smuggling operations by shutting down the ruby markets and street-sellers in the towns of Taunggyi and Tachilek. Burma's former capital city of Yangon (Rangoon) is now the official 'government sanctioned' gem-trading capital within Myanmar.
In reaction to the arrest of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, and the forced dislocation of the Wa people from the Shan State, President Bush signed into law the 'Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act' of 2003 (H.R. 2330), banning the importation of certain Myanmar products into the United States [15]. The bill did not specifically address the importation of gemstones, or gemstones that have been "altered," but does ban all goods that are "produced, mined, manufactured, grown, or assembled in Burma."
Mogok rubies possess a strong red fluorescence and the hue runs toward the magenta end of the color spectrum. Rubies from Mong Hsu tend to have more of a blueish hue. Although Thai rubies tend to have a purer purple-red body color, their lack of red fluorescence makes them appear dull when compared to Burmese (Mogok) rubies.
Mong Hsu ruby is often heat-treated to remove the blue component. Much of the Mong Hsu material is treated in neighboring Thailand.
Pigeon's Blood Rubies
The Burmese word for ruby is Padamya meaning "plenty of mercury" [9]. According to the Burmese, there is no finer ruby than the ko twe or "pigeon's blood ruby" which is named for its distinct deep red-magenta hue (above, right) that is similar to freshly drawn arterial pigeon blood. This color is also compared to the hue of a pomegranate seed.
Sapphire & Ruby Mines in Mogok
Mining operations are conducted by state-owned mining enterprises such as Myanma Gems Enterprise (MGE) and Myanmar Economic Holdings (MEH). MGE mines rubies and sapphires at the Ho Mine (below, left), Linyaung Chi Mine, Shwe Pyi Aye Mine (second row, left) near Mogok and Yebu, and the Yadanar Kadei Kadar Mine, near Kyaukpyattha Village. Ruby and jade mining also take place within the Mong Hsu Stone Tract in Eastern Myanmar. The majority of rubies on the world market today come from Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar due to lower production and restricted supply by the government in Myanmar.
Photo Attribution - www.avatravel.com
Mogok's Ho Mine (above, right) has produced some of the world's highest quality rubies. The Mong Hsu region, 100 km southeast of Mogok, also produces high quality rubies. Most of the ruby, sapphire and spinel mining in the Mogok region is open-pit (Pein Pyit mine) or hard-rock (Bawpadan mine) as much of the secondary alluvial deposits have been depleated. In the Mong Hsu region, sluicing is used to extract the gems from the ruby-bearing alluvial gravels and sand (aka byon).
Photo Attribution - www.avatravel.com
In the northeastern part of Burma's Shan State, there have been recent discoveries of ruby-bearing ore in the Loi Hpaleng, or "Red Cliff Mountain" area, a couple of hundred miles northeast of Taunggyi. Unfotunatly, the area is plagued with violence between the Shan State militia and the Burmese military over control of any new mining resources.
Referance Credits & Suggestions for Further Study
1. Ted Themelis, Mogok: Valley of Rubies & Sapphires 
A & T Publishing, Los Angeles
2. Judith Crowe, The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones . DK Publishing.
3. Cally Hall, Gemstones . Simon & Schuster.
4. Walter Schumann, Gemstones of the World . NAG Press; 2Rev Ed edition
5. Renee Newman, Gemstone Buying Guide . International Jewelry Publications; 2nd edition
6. Antoinette L . Matlins, Antonio C. Bonanno, Gem Identification Made Easy . Gemstone Press; 3rd edition
7. Paul R. Shaffer, Herbert S. Zim, Raymond Perlman, Rocks, Gems and Minerals . Martin's Press
8. R. V. Dietrich, Brian J. Skinner, Gems, Granites, and Gravels . Cambridge University Press
9. Richard W. Hughes, Ruby and Sapphire . RWH Publishing / www.ruby-sapphire.com
10. Wikipedia, The Free Encycloedia Rubies . Wikipedia
11. Emporia State, Ruby and Sapphire - Varieties of Corundum . Emporia State University
14. Judith Osmer, Ruby and Sapphire . RWH Publishing
15. Gemstone Forecaster, Robert Genis, Burma Gemstones: Banned . www.preciousgemstones.com
