Overview
- State media said miners uncovered a rough ruby weighing 11,000 carats near Mogok, calling it the country’s second-largest by weight.
- The stone is described as purplish red with a high color grade, moderate transparency, and strong reflectivity, and it is seen as more valuable than a larger 1996 find.
- Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and his cabinet examined the ruby at his office in the capital, Naypyitaw, in a display carried by state outlets.
- Gem sales are a key money source in Myanmar, and groups such as Global Witness urge jewelers to avoid the country’s stones because proceeds have supported the military.
- A 2019 UN fact-finding report linked military-controlled firms MEHL and MEC to jade and ruby mining and pressed for strict due diligence, as control of Mogok has shifted during the civil war.