Romancing the Source: Myanmar

Andrew Lucas and Tao Hsu

March 25, 2016

Mogok
Mogok, Myanmar, also known as The Valley of Rubies, is perhaps one of the world’s most exotic locations. Photo by Andrew Lucas/GIA.
Myanmar
Mogok, Myanmar, is perhaps the world’s most exotic and romantic gem-producing area.
This series of articles and videos follows a team of GIA Field Gemmologists on their travels from the mountains of Afghanistan to the jungles of Sri Lanka in search of the sources of coloured gemstones and the people who pursue them. This thrilling journey will take you to remote gemstone-mining areas, where you’ll witness the extreme effort required to wrestle nature’s treasures from the earth.

The romance of a coloured gemstone arises from its beauty, the exotic qualities of its source’s location, the adventure leading to its discovery and the stories of the people who seek it. These factors have united to create the allure of gemstones through the ages, and continue to do so even in modern times.

Mogok, Myanmar, has become as famous as the magnificent rubies, sapphires, spinels and other gems it produces. It is an amazing area, dotted with pagodas, temples, Buddha statues and outcroppings of marble rock.

The people are as exotic as the location, blending populations of Burmese, Shan, Lissu and Karen people, and former British Nepalese troops called Gurkhas. Most exotic of all are the Kanase women. By tradition, these women have the right to mine the tailings of mining operations in search of gemstones, surrounded by what often appears to be a sea of white marble. They wear traditional painted or cone-shaped hats and decorate their faces with a white paste.

Mogok miners engage in all types of coloured gemstone mining, and the local gem markets are as colourful as the miners.

Now, join us in the gemstone treasure hunt by viewing the video. In true “reality TV”, you will witness the perils and effort involved in mining coloured gemstones and bringing them to market.

Andrew Lucas is Manager of Field Gemmology at GIA in Carlsbad, California; Tao Hsu is Technical Editor of Gems & Gemology.

Vincent Pardieu
Jordan, our driver, guide and translator
Jean Yves Branchard of Ananda Travels in Yangon, Myanmar, who helped us with permits and logistics; and of course the people of Mogok, who welcomed us and shared with us their knowledge and friendship