top of page

Burma Ruby
(Mong Hsu)

mong hsu ruby mine
Ruby from Mong Hsu in Dolomite host rock
World Map of Gemstones.png

RUBY

Mong Hsu, Myanmar (previously Burma) (Southern Asia)

Gemstone Marketing Trade Term: "Burma"

 

Geography: Metamorphic (Low-Iron)

Crystal Structure: Trigonal

Composition: Corundum (AIâ‚‚O₃ (crystallized aluminum oxide)) + Chromium, Vanadium, Titanium, Iron trace elements

​

Corundum is typically colorless.  The trace elements, as with other stones, create color in the mineral. Chromium is the main element that causes Red in Corundum, producing Ruby.

Loi Saung Htauk mining area, Mong Hsu

Loi Saung Htauk mining community: located in the Shan State (located slightly southeast of Mong Hsu)

The primary deposit in Mong Hsu is seen above.  Thin metal shelters protecting shafts are stacked along the mountains.  Miners there work together as a community.

 

When mining, they climb their way down hundreds of feet using wooden and bamboo structures.  Veins of dolomite marble are mined for Ruby. 

Mogok Ruby Land Mine Shafts, same shafts in Mong Hsu.jpg

Miners work their way down narrow shafts leading to deposits

After hauling the rock out of the tunnels, teams of miners gather together passing off sacks of rock, one by one, to the sorting stations; removing the marble.  From there, manufacturing or treatments begin.

Inclusions & Clarity Characteristics​

These Rubies can have similar inclusions to Mogok Rubies. ​ They have structured graining, as opposed to roiled graining.  Patterned clouds and particles appear similar, but are slightly different.  In addition, there is a difference in host rock and the Rubies from Mong Hsu tend to have a dark violet, somewhat bluish hexagonal core.​  Heating these Ruby's can easily result in an extra fine color; removing the dark blue center.  â€‹

Ruby Blue Core Mong Hsu

Sharp, defined dark violet/ blue core that forms a hexagonal outline of the crystal structure.

Extra Fine Mong Hsu Ruby (blue core).
Heated Mong Hsu Ruby

After heat treatment the dark color core is removed.  Under the microscope, Ruby's hexagonal crystal structure can appear.

If the Ruby is free of inclusions, it should be submitted to GIA for a chemical analysis with further instruments for testing origin. However, because the chemical composition for Ruby is generally the same, this process is not as accurate as the identifying clarity characteristics.

bottom of page