Twice a year we are invited by the local government to the exclusive auctions of precious stones which take place in Yangon (Rangoon). Mining of these marvellous gems in Burma is strictly controlled by the government and rubies are only offered to a small number of selected buyers.
It is virtually impossible for foreigners to gain access to the Mogok Stone tract. We have visited Mogok several times for gemmological research. It is a beautiful region, with a lot of Buddhist temples and pagodas, the romantic Mogok Lake and picturesque markets. Overwhelming is the warm and friendly welcome by the local population. Mining is mostly done the old way, like centuries ago, with very little heavy machinery and the whole population is somehow active with digging, washing, cutting, polishing and dealing with all kinds of precious and semi-precious stones found there.

When we admire a fine Burmese ruby, it is hard to imagine the long way this precious love has gone, from the forgotten valleys of Mogok to the finger of a beautiful woman.