Mogok, a town in Central Myanmar in Mandalay Division, is renowned for producing the world's best grade of rubies and other precious and semi-precious gems. It is popularly known to the Myanmar people as the "Ruby Land".
Mogok lies on the northwest end of the Shan Plateau and its
elevation is approximately 3800 feet above the sea level.
Mogok can be reached easily from Mandalay by motorcar. The road winds round mountains with many hairpin bends but it is in good condition. The traveler will be rewarded by fantastic views of forecasted mountains and the distant Ayeyarwady River and the plains.
Mogok as a town came into being around AD 1207 during the Bagan Era. Mogok has been famous for its precious rubies and gems since the days of ancient Myanmar monarchs. It is alternatively known as " Ruby Land " because it produces the highest quality rubies in the world. The pigeon's blood rubies are especially sought in Mogok.
Mogok also produces the highly valued star sapphires and a whole variety of semi-precious gems like garments, spinel and topaz and many others. The "Nga Mauk" Ruby is one and it was part of the Myanmar crown jewels. The most recent finds of world fame is the State Ruby weighing in at 496.5 and another stone, the largest rare ruby found in 1996 that weighs 21450 carats. And then there is also the largest star sapphire, weighing 63000 carats.
Alluvial limestone gravels are the source, and deposits are exploited by means of tunneling, pit-digging or panning - all performed by hand. Other precious and semi-precious stones found in Mogok District include peridot, lapis lazuli, moonstone, garnet, chrysoberyl and some rare stones.
List Gemstones
This is a very good choice of blog topic to start with.
ReplyDeleteVery informative and the scenic view on the top image helps readers visualize how it feels to be in your hometown.
Nice one.