Burma, now known as Myanmar, is home to the mythic
‘Mogok Stone Tract’ and the Mong Hsu mines, sources
of some of the world’s richest Sapphire and ruby.
This reputation helps to explain why England, under
the reigns of Queen Victoria, invaded and annexed Upper
Burma in 1885 after learning that a French mining company
was to begin sourcing ruby from the famed ‘Mogok Stone
Tract’.
The gemstone mines of Burma have been legendary since
1500 A.D., when mining the Mogok Stone first started,
and has produced some of the world's finest Blue Sapphire.
Sapphires are mined in the ‘Mogok’ area alongside rubies,
although they appear far less frequently in this country:
about 1 to 500. This is the opposite of most corundum
deposits around the world. This rarity pushes the prices
paid for Mogok Sapphire to a premium
Burmese Sapphire can be of an exceptionally high quality.
They often remain unheated, as their original state
of color is so desirable. The color of Mogok Sapphire is a beautiful evenly distributed dark Blue described
as ‘Royal Blue’: