Miners in Myanmar have discovered an 11,000-carat rough ruby near the town of Mogok, in the country’s upper Mandalay region, state media reported on Friday. The gem, weighing 2.2 kilograms, is considered the second-largest ruby by weight ever found in the Southeast Asian nation, and officials say its quality makes it more valuable than an even larger stone discovered three decades ago.
The find was made in mid-April, just after Myanmar’s traditional New Year festival, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar. The ruby is described as having a purplish-red hue with yellowish undertones, a high-quality color grade, moderate transparency, and a highly reflective surface. While it weighs roughly half as much as a 21,450-carat stone unearthed in 1996, gem experts cited by state media said the new discovery’s superior color and clarity give it greater value.
President Min Aung Hlaing and his Cabinet recently examined the giant ruby at his office in Naypyitaw, the capital, the state newspaper reported. Min Aung Hlaing, the army chief who led the 2021 military takeover that ousted the elected government, returned to power this year as president after elections that human rights and opposition groups described as a sham.
Mogok is the heartland of Myanmar’s gem-mining industry, which produces as much as 90% of the world’s rubies. The trade in gemstones — both legitimately traded and smuggled — is a major source of revenue for the country. Human rights activists and organizations such as the Britain-based research and lobbying group Global Witness have urged jewelers to stop purchasing gems sourced from Myanmar, arguing that the industry has served as a vital revenue stream for its military governments over several decades.
The mining regions remain volatile. Mogok was captured in July 2024 by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, a guerrilla force representing the Palaung ethnic minority. The TNLA took control of the mines and operated them before eventually transferring control back to Myanmar’s army under a China-mediated ceasefire agreement that was concluded late last year. 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 internal conflict.
A new, ostensibly civilian government was installed in Myanmar this year following the elections criticized by rights groups, and Min Aung Hlaing’s examination of the ruby at his office amounted to a public display of a valuable resource extracted from territory his forces only recently regained access to.