Overview
- State media displayed the giant ruby and showed it in President Min Aung Hlaing’s office in Naypyidaw.
- Miners unearthed the roughly five-pound stone near Mogok, the country’s ruby heartland that has seen recent fighting and shifts in control.
- Officials say the purplish-red gem has superior color and clarity and could surpass the value of a larger 1996 find, yet no independent valuation has been made.
- Myanmar produces a large share of the world’s rubies, and rights groups warn purchases can bankroll the ruling military, while mining revenue also flows to ethnic armed groups.
- Mogok was seized by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army in July 2024 before military control returned under a China-brokered ceasefire, and gems from the area are sold legally or smuggled.