Miners in Myanmar have discovered a rare ruby of enormous size, considered to be the 2nd-largest by weight ever found in the country. The ruby, measuring 11 thousand carats or 2.2 kilograms, was unearthed near the town of Mogok, in the upper Mandalay region.
The town is the heartland of the lucrative gem-mining industry that has recently experienced intense fighting in the country’s wide-ranging civil war. The newly found ruby weighs roughly half the weight of a 21,450-carat or 4.29-kilogram stone found in 1996. However, the new discovery is considered more valuable due to its superior colour and quality.
Myanmar produces as much as 90 per cent of the world’s rubies, primarily from the areas of Mogok and Mong Hsu. Gemstones, both legitimately traded and smuggled, are a major source of revenue for Myanmar.
