Massive 11,000-carat ruby unearthed in Myanmar
Miners in Myanmar have discovered a rare ruby of enormous size, thought to be the second largest by weight ever found in the conflict-torn Southeast Asian country, state media reported.
The ruby, measuring 11,000 carats (2.2 kilograms), was unearthed near the town of Mogok in the Upper Mandalay region, the heart of the lucrative gem mining industry that has recently been subject to intense fighting in the country’s wide-ranging civil war.
The newly found rough ruby was discovered in mid-April, just after the traditional New Year festival, according to Friday’s report by the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar.
Although it weighs roughly half the weight of the 21,450-carat (4.29 kilogram) stone found in 1996, the new discovery is considered more valuable because of its superior color and quality. It is described as having a purplish-red hue with yellowish undertones, a high-quality color grade, moderate transparency, and a highly reflective surface.
Myanmar produces 90 percent of the world’s rubies, primarily in the Mogok and Mong Hsu regions. Gemstones, both legally traded and smuggled, are an important source of income for Myanmar.
Human rights activists and organizations such as the UK-based research and lobby group Global Witness have called on jewelers to stop buying jewelry from Myanmar, which has served as a vital source of income for military governments for decades.
A new, ostensibly civilian government was formed this year, but this followed elections that human rights and opposition groups described as fraudulent. The vote returned to power President Min Aung Hlaing, the army chief who led the latest military takeover in 2021. He and his Cabinet recently examined the giant ruby in his office in the capital Naypyitaw.
Gemstone mining also serves as a primary source of funding for ethnic armed groups fighting for autonomy, a factor that has helped fuel decades of civil conflict.
The security of these mining regions remains unstable. Mogok was captured in July 2024 by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, a guerrilla force representing the Palaung ethnic minority. Although the TNLA took over and operated the mines, control was eventually handed over to the Myanmar military as part of a ceasefire agreement brokered by China late last year.
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