Burma Ruby
Burma turns out the reddest, cleanest rubies in the world, but other, less fraught locales are catching on
Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum and is, historically, the most valuable of gems, pricier, carat for carat, than diamond. Big, quality specimens are the essence of rare and almost always come from a single source, the Mogok Stone Tract in Upper Burma. This is the home of the elusive ko-twe, or “pigeon’s blood,” stones, connoting a red so pure that connoisseurs insist it only comes along once, maybe twice, in a lifetime.
Known for their strong fluorescence, fine Mogok rubies emanate a bright red glow that has the power to mask areas of extinction and, like sapphires from Kashmir, their gemological cousins, boast a forest of tiny rutile inclusions that scatter light around the gem, imbuing it with a “sleepy” yet clear appearance. According to the American Gem Trade Association’s new JewelFolio, a series of custom-built, one-of-a-kind documents for rare stones from a specific origin, including rubies from Mogok and sapphires from Kashmir, “so highly esteemed is the ruby in Burma that goldsmiths in that country traditionally refuse to mount it as a side stone. Ruby is the gem of the sun; all others must orbit it.” The Burmese connection, however, presents both moral and logistical challenges in light of the country’s despotic military dictatorship — the reason why so many Burmese rubies are smuggled through Thailand. The U.S. government has an embargo in place, effectively abolishing all Burmese goods from its shores, but American wholesalers and retailers continue to do a brisk business in Burmese gems, occasionally marketing them as Thai stones to sidestep the issue.
The discovery, or in some cases rediscovery, of deposits in Tajikistan, Afghanistan and, most recently, Tanzania — not to mention Greenland, where a promising source of fine rubies is now being explored by Canada’s True North Gems — should relieve some pressure from Burma. But gemologists have to contend with the occasional overlap in identifying features when they assess the stones for origin, a delicate task because it has such dramatic consequences: the market pays significant premiums for rubies with a proven Burmese origin.
At the Las Vegas show, Jack Abraham, a New York gem dealer specializing in fine rubies, sapphires and emeralds, showcased a gorgeous ruby that came with three lab certificates. One said the origin was the Badakshan region of Tajikistan, another said Afghanistan and the third said “Burma-like.” “The one thing they all agree on is there’s no heat,” Abraham said. Among dealers, a preference for natural beauty seems to trump the “where is it from?” card. “Origin adds caché and romance, but I’m more concerned with what’s been done to the stone,” says Jeff Bilgore, a New York dealer. Jewelers might well say the same thing. Rubies are a designer favorite, especially for the big Parisian houses, such as Van Cleef & Arpels, which uses its mystery setting to line up scores of perfectly matched rubies in Art Deco or floral motifs. The stone is a high jewelry fixture, from the extravagant parures destined for the coffers of high-society Indian brides to alternative engagement rings that, according to Burmese custom, place the ruby in the center, right where it belongs.
Red alert A 1.08-carat Burmese ruby forms the heart of the Kasiopia ring at top, $11,000, by EV Jewelry Design. The Gloria Ballerina clip, price upon request, from Van Cleef & Arpels’s Ballet Precieux collection, in platinum, features rubies in its signature mystery setting.
Loose stone image provided by ICA
