{"id":782277,"date":"2026-05-08T16:12:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/782277\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T16:12:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:12:23","slug":"a-massive-11000-carat-ruby-has-been-unearthed-in-myanmars-war-scarred-gemstone-heartland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/782277\/","title":{"rendered":"A massive 11,000-carat ruby has been unearthed in Myanmar\u2019s war-scarred gemstone heartland"},"content":{"rendered":"

BANGKOK<\/strong> \u2013 Miners in Myanmar have discovered a rare ruby of enormous size, considered to be the second-largest by weight ever found in the conflict-battered Southeast Asian nation, state media reported Friday. <\/p>\n

The ruby, measuring 11,000 carats (2.2 kilograms, or 4.8 pounds), was unearthed near the town of Mogok<\/a>, in the upper Mandalay region, the heartland of the lucrative gem-mining industry that has recently experienced intense fighting in the country\u2019s wide-ranging civil war. <\/p>\n

According to a report from the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar, the newly found rough ruby was discovered in mid-April, just after the traditional New Year festival.<\/p>\n

While it weighs roughly half the weight of a 21,450-carat (4.29 kilograms, or 9.45 pounds) stone found in 1996, the new discovery is considered more valuable due to 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. <\/p>\n

Myanmar produces as much as 90% of the world\u2019s rubies, primarily from the areas of Mogok and Mong Hsu. Gemstones, both legitimately traded and smuggled, are a major source of revenue for Myanmar. Human rights activists and organizations such as the Britain-based research and lobbying group Global Witness have urged<\/a> jewelers to stop purchasing gems sourced from Myanmar, as the industry has served as a vital revenue stream for its military governments over several decades.<\/p>\n

A new, ostensibly civilian government<\/a> was installed this year, but it followed elections<\/a> described by human rights and opposition groups as a sham. The vote returned to power President Min Aung Hlaing<\/a>, the army chief who led the most recent military takeover in 2021. He and his Cabinet recently examined the giant ruby at his office in the capital, Naypyitaw. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

The security of these mining regions remains volatile. Mogok was captured<\/a> in July 2024 by the Ta\u2019ang 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 transferred back to Myanmar\u2019s army as part of a China-mediated ceasefire agreement<\/a> concluded late last year.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BANGKOK \u2013 Miners in Myanmar have discovered a rare ruby of enormous size, considered to be the second-largest…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":782278,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[109199,50,15228,103,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-782277","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-min-aung-hlaing","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-oddities","11":"tag-world","12":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116539842470005241","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/782278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}