Gem Mining In Burma

MARTIN EHRMANN, C.G.

INTRODUCTION

For many centuries, Burma has been oneof the most important gem centers in theworld. The Mogaung area, practically in thepath of the famous World War II BurmaRoad, is the only commercial source ofjadeite that produces qualities ranging fromthe finest gem emerald green to the cheapestutilitarian quality. The gem mines in Mogokare the only sources of fine gem rubies; Siamrubies are generally inferior. Only in rarecases is a fine Siam ruby found. Today, ap-proximately eighty-five percent of all rubiesand sapphires mined are of Burmese origin,especially since the Kashmir mines in Indiahave ceased operations on any large scale.

Despite sufficient time and adequate fa-cilities for making a complete and thoroughinvestigation, a superficial survey in thecourse of several trips during the past twoyears revealed the presence of immensewealth still hidden within Burma. Until acomplete scientific investigation is made ofthe gem areas in Burma, it is hoped that thisarticle will fill the interim gap.

GEOGRAPHY

Burma, or the Union of Burma as it isnow called, is divided into six states: Burma,Shan, Kashin, Kayah, Chin and Karen. It isa long, narrow country, bordered by Indiaand Assam on the west, by Tibet and Chinaon the north and by Siam on the east. Theport of entry into Burma, either by sea orair, is Rangoon, its capital city. Rangoon hasa population of about 800,000 people, con-sisting of approximately 550,000 Burmese,125,000 Chinese and 125,000 Indians. AllBurma has a population of 18,000,000. Bycontrast with India and other Asiatic coun-tries, its people seem prosperous, wellfedand wellclothed. Slums and poverty are evi-dent only in the large cities of Rangoonand Mandalay.

Rangoon is a rather impressive city withwide, pleasant, well-laid-out streets andmany beautiful parks within the city limits.However, the ravages of World War II arestill seen in the many bombed-out buildingswith all their rubble. The slum sections,too, are as bad as anywhere in India, with

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Sula Pagoda, on the Sula Pagoda Road, in the heart of Rangoon.

crowds and filth evident everywhere.The residential section of the city is well

kept with many beautiful mansions standingmajestically on Prome Road, the finest resi-dential street in the city. There are manytemples and pagodas of beautiful architec-ture (though not as elaborate as those inSiam). The Sula Pagoda, in the center of thecity, has a tower over fifty feet high coveredwith 24-karat gold leaf to which gold isadded regularly every few years. This goldis reputed to be worth many millions ofdollars. The Shwedagon Pagoda is locatedin the residential area on a lovely land-scaped two-mile square. This pagoda, withits golden spire glittering in the sunlight isthe largest and finest Buddhist temple in theworld; it, too, is worth millions of dollars.

Another interesting landmark is the Uni-versity of Rangoon, known as the finesthigher education institution in the Far East.It consists of many buildings on a huge

campus, with a mixture of old and modernarchitecture. It is staffed by a fine, inter-national faculty.

Transportation within Burma is poor.There is a railroad from Rangoon to thenorth, but it is old, dilapidated, and veryslow. A trip to Mandalay, a distance of 450miles, takes about three days and is extremelydangerous. Each train leaving Rangoon ispreceded by an armored car with a comple-ment of soldiers, since these trains are fre-quently attacked by marauding bands of in-surgents roaming the jungles of Burma.Even this protection does not prevent fre-quent attacks and much loss of life. Anothermode of transportation is by slow, crowded,and uncomfortable river boats on the Irra-waddy River, the most important river inBurma and navigable for about 1000 miles.Such a trip is a combination of three daysof train travel to Mandalay, two days byboat to Thabeikian, and sixty miles by auto-

GEMS & GEMOLOGY

Burmese plane and crew that flew author from Rangoon to Mogok

mobile to Mogok.However, it is air travel that offers the

finest mode of transportation within Burma.The Union of Burma Airlines is most effi-cient, flying regularly to all points north.The planes used are Dakotas and DC3's,flown by Burmese pilots trained in England.These two-motor planes are found best forthe short distances flown. There are twodaily flights to Mandalay and flights once aweek to the capitals of all other states, thusmaking air travel the only efficient way toget to Mogok. A plane leaves Rangoon everyFriday at 8:00 A.M. and arrives in Momeikabout noon, where it is met by a jeep forthe twenty-eight-mile drive to Mogok. Thisbrief jeep trip is usually accompanied by anelement of danger, since the roads are fre-quently mined by the insurgents who roamthe jungles. Cars are frequently robbed orblown up. The insurgents are political ene-mies of the state. In addition, there is the

ever-present danger of the highway banditswho steal everything of value but seldomkill.

Nevertheless, the drive to Mogok is fas-cinating. Momeik is 800 feet above sea leveland Mogok is 4000 feet above, so there isa continual climb through extraordinarily in-teresting country. Scenically, it is the mostastounding country in all Asia. Occasionally,green valleys appear through thick jungles;then, suddenly, terrible desolation andruined pagodas come into view. Here andthere is a village beyond which are pictur-esque rice paddies. The roads are deterioratedand appear to have had no care in years.

Mogok is situated in a magnificent valley,surrounded by majestic mountains which arestudded with temples and pagodas, somevery modern and others thousands of yearsold. Geographically, Mogok is considered apart of the Burma State, although it is actu-ally located in the western part of the Shan

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State. This fact dates back a long time, be-fore the English occupation of Burma.Burma was a kingdom then, and all ofBurma was ruled by Burmese kings. Becauseof the vast wealth in the Mogok area, thesekings retained their hold on it and foughtthe Sab Bwas (same as maharajas of India)who tried to wrest it from them.

Even under British rule, the Mogok areawas kept as a separate entity, as an inde-pendent state. A British commissioner wasappointed for this area alone. Until Burmabecame a republic, uniting all six states, onlythe State of Burma was actually the King-dom of Burma. The other five states wereruled by Sab Bwas. These Sab Bwas are stillvery powerful politically, all holding minis-terial rank. As Sab Bwa of his own state, heis the minister representing his state in theUnion Government. In addition, he may,and usually does, hold another politicaloffice.

The Mogok valley is about twenty mileslong and two miles wide. In the center ofthe village of Mogok is located a beautifullake, created by digging for precious stonesduring the Ruby Syndicate era. The Mogokgem area reaches to the city of Momeik, adistance of twenty-eight miles to the northand sixty miles to the west, up to the vil-lages of Twingwe and Thabeikian on theIrrawaddy River.

Mogok has a moderate climate. Duringwinter, the maximum temperature is 25 de-grees during the night and early morning.During the day, it rises to 70 degrees. Insummer, the evenings are not very cold andthe maximum day temperature is about 95degrees. It is a heavy rainfall area, rangingfrom ninety inches of rain to one hundredand thirty-five inches in the rainy, or mon-soon, season from May to November.

The chief industries of Burma are the cul-tivation of rice and the logging of timber,mainly teakwood. Both commodities are ex-ported to many countries, accounting forBurma's only sources of foreign exchange.Mogok is the exception. The only industry

in the entire area of Mogok is the miningof gemstones. There is hardly any cultivationin this area; consequently, even rice, whichis the staple food, has to be brought in fromMomeik.

In addition to the temples and pagodasone sees in the mountains, there are variousplants of gorgeous colors; brightly coloredblooming magnolia trees and cherry blos-soms are abundant. One shrub, similar torhododendron, grows all over the mountains.The natives are superstitious about theserhododendron shrubs, believing that they arecreated by the good spirits hovering in thearea and called "the gods of the mountain."

Wild life is also abundant. Many varietiesof birds can be seen almost any time of day.Elephants, tigers, and diverse species of thedeer family thrive in the mountains andnearby jungles.

PEOPLE

The Burmese are a friendly, smiling peo-ple. Their dress is neater and more beautifulthan anywhere else in the Orient. Both menand women wear skirts, or longhis, and bothsexes delight in bright colors and silk attire.A longhi is a skirtlike garment. Cottonlonghis are used for daily wear; silk longhisare worn on holidays and for special occa-sions. The longhis are very wide to giveplenty of room to the wearer. They arestepped into and are folded and knotted infront. It is not unusual to see a man orwoman open the longhi while walking, shakeit with graceful motions and retie the knot,all in the twinkling of an eye. These move-ments are done unconsciously and with me-chanical precision. Nowhere in the world dopeople take more pride in their wonderful,bright, harmonious colors. The men gener-ally wear sport shirts with their longhis; thewomen wear sheer, white blouses adornedwith ruby- or sapphire-set gold buttons. Un-like the rigid customs in India, the life ofthe Burmese is free from the effects of anycaste system and seclusion of women, whichmay account for their pride in gay dress. In

GEMS & GEMOI.OGY

• Typical huts in themin ing v i l l age ofMogok.

• Family in Mogokwi th wh ich au thorstayed, showing typi-cal Burmese dress.

the interior, even though less civilized, thepeople of the various tribes have their dis-tinctive and picturesque modes of dress andadornment.

In the section of Burma which borders onAssam, Tibet, Yunan Province of China,and French Indo-China live the peacefulShans, the warring Kachina and the head-hunting Nagas. These people have their ownunique and colorful dress. The women wearlarge turban-type hats made of gay materials.In their noses, they wear a gold drop whichis fastened to the center of the nostril andhangs down below the mouth—a most awk-ward place, indeed, for a pendant! But inevery part of Burma, all the Burmese haveone thing in common: a fierce pride in theirnewly gained independence and freedom

from English rule since 1948.U Khin Maung, my agent and interpreter,

had made arrangements for us to stay at hisparents' home, a typical Mogok hut built ona concrete slab with woven bamboo wallsand native wooden beams. Upon our arrival,we were given a fine welcome by his parents,two younger brothers and a sister. I wasgiven a cot in the corner of the livingroom.In all the homes in Mogok, the livingroomsserve a dual purpose, since they are also thefamily's shrine. In one corner, a pagoda oc-cupies the most prominent place in the room.In front of it is a table on which are placedflowers and bowls of rice, changed daily asofferings to Buddha. Daily prayers, in aprone position, are said to Buddha morningand night. According to the Buddhist reli-

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• A livingroom of one of the prominent gemdealers, showing a centerpiece of an altarconsisting of peridot pagoda, peridot buddhaand a quartz crystal buddha. Photo courtesyof Edward R. Swoboda.

gion, no one can enter a pagoda wearingshoes, so everyone takes off his shoes beforeentering the livingroom of any house inBurma.

All homes in Mogok have another thingin common: the complete lack of any sani-tary facilities. Outhouses are found in therear of the huts. Water for washing andcooking is brought in from pumps, some-times found in the rear but more frequentlyin front of the huts. Baths are taken at thesepumps in full view of the entire population.Both men and women manage their longhisso gracefully that the dry one is on beforethe wet one is completely off. My first at-tempt at bathing in the street almost turnedinto a fiasco, because I wasn't quick enoughin changing from the wet to the dry longhi.Although no one was visible at the moment,I heard much laughter from my invisibleaudience. After practicing several times, Ialso became adept in the rapid change ofgarments.

Our first evening in Mogok, we retiredearly after a typical Burmese dinner. Weate a tasteless, thin soup containing mustard-like greens, followed by white rice in currysauce with bits of pork, and other vegetablesand tea. About 6:00 A.M., I was awakenedby the morning prayers of all our neighbors.We had our breakfast of two boiled eggs,bread and butter and coffee. We had broughtcanned butter and instant coffee with us. Westarted our tour of the town with a courtesycall to the S.D.O. (subdivisional officer),who acts as mayor, chief of police, fire chiefand magistrate, as well as chief mining in-spector. His name is U Hla Tint, a charmingand personable young man of about thirty.He is respected by all the twenty thousandinhabitants of the area. He gave us a mostcordial welcome and promised to give usadvice and help in any way we wished. Afterthe customary cup of coffee, followed by acup of tea, we departed, assured that wewould have all the cooperation we needed

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• Mogok gem mine after fifteen feet of sand layer has been removedto bare the gem gravel.

from the law in Mogok.We visited a number of the most impor-

tant mine owners and dealers, from whom Igathered much essential information. The,procedure in visiting these people was in-variably the same: the minute we arrived,shed our shoes and sat down in a squattingposition, cups of coffee were served. Thiscoffee was unlike any I had ever tasted. Ap-parently, the coffee, milk, sugar and waterare cooked together and the sugar wasplentiful. It had a sickening sweet taste, butwe finished it and were immediately offeredcups of tea, which tasted good after the-firstawful concoction. The number of cups ofcoffee and tea we imbibed each day de-pended on the number of visits we made.A sincere feeling of welcome everywhere wewent made me feel at home.

MINING AND GEOLOGY

The Mogok area is the only place in theworld that has a population of about twentythousand people who make a living fromgemstones. Except for diamonds and pearls,

almost every variety of gemstones, bothprecious and semi-precious, has been foundthere. The total gem area is approximately1916 square miles. Gem deposits are foundwithin an eight-mile radius of Mogok, andthere are about twelve hundred individuallyowned mines operating in the area.

The village of Mogok is totally dissimilarfrom Idar-Oberstein, Germany, in peopleand architecture, but they are very muchalike in the predominance of the stone in-dustry. As in Idar-Oberstein, every house inMogok is a lapidary shop. However, Idar-Oberstein is only a gem-cutting center; inthe immediate vicinity of Mogok are manygem mines.

There are two types of mining opera-tions. After an area has been discoveredwhere signs of gemstones are present, thetop layer of sand, sometimes as deep asfifteen feet, is removed. When the gemgravels become visible, the real work begins.Depending on the size of the area, fromthree to twenty-five miners begin to loosenthe gem gravels, the large boulders being

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• Hut housing pump-ing gear in Ruby Mine.

• Wooden structureinto which gem gravelshave been raised bycentrifugal pumps.

discarded on the sides. The smaller gravelsare gradually shoved to a pile in a conven-ient corner by shovels and picks. In mostmines around Mogok where water is plenti-ful, a centrifugal pumping system is used topump the gravels up to a high point withan eight-inch pipe. A wooden structure re-ceives all the gravels, since it can hold fromthirty to forty tons. At a specified time ofday, the gravels are washed in the followingmanner. The miners that loosened the grav-els come into the structure and remove thelargest pebbles by hand. The balance ispushed through a wire mesh to the first level,then to the second level, and finally to thebottom. Thus, the large pieces are held on

the first level, smaller pieces on the second,and the smallest on the third, or bottomlevel.

At this point, the washing operationsactually begin. This is a top-secret opera-tion; only the mine owner and his minersare present during this final step. No oneis supposed to learn what luck the minehad on any day!

The gravels on the lowest level are thentaken out in wire baskets and thoroughlywashed again. Many pebbles are removedby hand and the balance is carried by eachminer to a picking table four by eight feetin size. The mine owner and his assistantstand there moving the gravels with a

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First washing of heavy gravel.

Moving gem gravels to the lowest level before final washing.

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• Final washing of gem gravels before removal to the picking table.

• Assorting gems from gravel on picking table.

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Picking table, showing bamboo container for selected gems.

• Poor women-relatives sorting reject lots of gravels for any re-maining small gems.

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• Wealthy mine owner with pile of gravel in which an important sapphirewas found.

metal blade in one hand; the other handis used to pick out all gems, which are thenplaced in a bamboo container while theother gravels are pushed off the table. Suchgravels still contain small pieces of rubies,sapphires and other gems with which themine owner does not think it worth whileto bother. This material is gathered intopiles which are sold to the poor womenrelatives of the mine owner. After purchas-ing one or two piles for a very small amountof money, these women comb them for allremaining gems. If, by some chance, themine owner has overlooked a large gem, itrightfully belongs to the woman purchaserof the pile in which it is found. Naturally,the results of any washing can be joyous orvery disappointing. The entire operation isa rapid one, and the results are quickly seen.

The other method is to dig square wellsto depths of twenty-five to thirty feet. Toprevent the walls from caving in, the miners

shore them with bamboo rods. After a holeis secure, the mining process begins. Thegem gravels are brought to the surface inrattan baskets raised by a rope, a processsimilar to drawing water from a well. Thegravels are then washed and the preciousstones removed.

Rubies and associated minerals such asspinels are formed in a matrix of white,dolomitic, granular limestone. These rockshave been altered by contact with molten,igneous material which recrystallized thecalcium carbonate as pure calcite, while theimpurities became the rubies, spinels andother minerals. Rubies now are seldom foundin this matrix. All mining is in the adjacentalluvial ground.

The origin of the Mogok gem area hasnot been described anywhere, as there hasbeen no scientific investigation made to date.My own superficial observations indicate thatthere are at least two hundred and fifty

14 GEMS & GEMOLOGY

mineral species within the area. It is safeto say that the Mogok-area gems are ofmetamorphic origin. The original rock inwhich these gems were formed disintegratedon the earth's surface. Loose, disintegratedsoil was formed in which the gem minerals,such as rubies, sapphires and spinels (whichare not harmed by water and other atmos-pheric conditions), were imbedded and re-mained in excellent condition. This disinte-gration was washed away by waters and thegems were washed along as well. Eventually,the waters stopped flowing and the gravelsremained, covered by sand layers of fromfive to fifteen feet, where they are now wait-ing to be discovered. New areas are openeddaily where new finds are continually beingmade. Rubies are known to occur in threeimportant tracts in Upper. Burma, but theoriginal source of the gems is found to behighly crystalline limestone.

The variety of minerals found in thesemines varies a great deal. Statistics aredifficult to obtain because of the previouslymentioned secrecy that prevails. I did, how-ever, obtain the cooperation of one mineowner in this respect, a jovial Burman, UNyunt Maung, one-man owner of the largestmine in the Mogok area. According to him,about seventy thousand carats of rubies andsapphires are mined there yearly. Of un-usual interest is the fact that only one percent of spinels come from this mine. Theserubies and sapphires are not all of gemquality. A good guess would be that lessthan five percent of the seventy thousandcarats is of decent quality; only one-halfof one percent is of gem quality. Othervarieties of gemstones found here are dan-burite, scapolite, beryl, zircon, amethyst andfibrolite. In addition, many varieties of ironminerals and rare earths occur, such asmonozite, ilmenite, columbite and tantalite.

In Kathe and Kyatpyin (the first sixmiles and the latter eight miles fromMogok), in addition to individually ownedmines employing from five to fifty miners,there are also large tracts of land leased to

individual miners who work a few feet ofthe area by the hole-digging method previ-ously described. As this area is rather dry,most of the gem gravels are piled up inhuge piles and washed during the monthsof the rainy season. Although not consid-ered a rich area, it still provides about one-half million dollars worth of rubies andsapphires annually.

Most mine owners and miners are inter-ested only in the precious rubies, sapphiresand spinels because of the ready market forthem; consequently, the other gems aresadly neglected. If it were not for the factthat Mr. A. C. D. Pain, a very competentgemologist, who has been living in Mogokfor many years, has shown a constant inter-est in the rarer gems, they would have beenignored as worthless. The following gem-stones are found in almost all the Mogokarea: peridots, which will be describedmore fully later; fine, yellow danburites, upto forty carats; scapolite cat's-eyes in white,pink and blue of various sizes up to fiftycarats; apatites in blue and green, as wellas the chatoyant variety, which is rathercommon; an abundance of albite cat's-eyesup to fifty carats; topazes; and orthoclasesand other varieties of the feldspars. Lessabundant minerals in the same area arekornerupines, sphenes, diopsides, iolites,chrysoberyls, zircons, and, occasionally, anew gem mineral. Mr. Pain has recentlyfound a new species which is now beingdescribed by the British Museum of NaturalHistory in London.

Mr. Pain owns a magnificent collectionof representative Burmese gems which heis continually improving in quality. WhenI saw it last, it contained some 250 gemsvarying in size from two to 150 carats. Theoutstanding stones are a blue kornerupineweighing about twenty carats, a sphene ofsimilar size, a pink scapolite cat's-eye ofabout twenty carats in weight, and a fibroliteof most unusual size. Unfortunately, all myefforts in trying to purchase this collectionfailed.

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• Fabulous gem collection of Mr. A. C. D.Pain consisting exclusively of Mogok gems.

Photo courtesy of Edward R. Swoboda

In Sakhangy, twelve miles southwest ofMogok, quartz and topaz crystals are foundin highly decomposed pegmatite. Becauseof excessively heavy rains in the past fewyears, this deposit has caved in completely.The topazes are of various colors and wellcrystallized, not unlike those found inBrazil. However, the fine golden colors de-sirable for jewelry purposes are rare.

For a long time, peridots of commercialgem quality were believed to have come onlyfrom St. Johns Island in the Red Sea. How-ever, there is a more important locality forthis beautiful gem mineral in a village calledPyaung Gaung, which is eight miles north-west of Mogok. The natives call these peri-dots Pyaung Gauhg zain (zain meansstone). No investigation could be madethere since this territory is completely inthe hands of insurgents. Several unusuallyfine, large specimens of these crystallizedperidots were purchased and are now insome of our museum collections. The qual-ity of the Burmese peridots is similar to

that found in the Red Sea, but the largeststones of pure gem quality come, fromBurma.

In addition to rubies and sapphires, otherimportant gem minerals mined in Burmainclude jadeite. Burma is just about theonly source of jadeite in the world. Thisgem mineral deserves its own chapter later.

Burma is also -rich in strategic minerals.The tin mines of the Tennarim Peninsulaare very important. This peninsula is inthe southern-most part of Burma and has acoastline of about one thousand miles, con-necting in the south with the Malay Penin-sula. Tungsten is also mined in large quan-tities on the Tennarim Peninsula.

In the central and northern part of Burmaare many deposits of tin, tungsten, lead,silver and copper, which are suitable formining. Because of lack of transportation,difficult terrain, and insurgent activities,development .of these mines has been mostinadequate. There are also a few rich oil-fields in the central part, providing suffi-

16 GEMS & GEMOLOGY

cient gasoline for Burmese consumption.Other Burmese minerals worth mention-

ing are antimony, asbestos, barite, bismuth,chromite, gypsum, graphite, manganese,molybdenum and monazite. There are visiblesigns that all these deposits are being pres-ently surveyed by private and governmentgeologists, evidencing a purposeful move-ment to develop all the natural resources ofBurma.

HISTORY

It is difficult to ascertain exactly whenMogok was founded. That it was first set-tled by man about 3000 B.C. is indicated byrelics of this period used by the Mongolians,who were the first settlers. Such relics con-sisted of stone axes, chisels, and many typesof spears and stone arrowheads similar toour Indian ones.

Modern Mogok was founded in 579 A.D.,when it was all jungles and thick forests.While hunting in the jungles, headhuntersof the Sab Bwa of Momeik lost their wayand slept under a tree. At daybreak, theyheard birds singing and hovering over them.Investigating the commotion of the birds,they ran into a mountain break full of beau-tiful rubies. They collected as many as theycould carry and brought them to the SabBwa of Momeik. He immediately realizedthe wealth of the area and sent some of hishousehold to establish Mogok. It was firstcalled Thahpainpin Pomegranate for thefruit growing abundantly there, and sucha little village still exists on the extremewest limits of Mogok.

In those days, Burma was ruled by a kingnamed Avaking. The capital was the cityof Ava, near the present site of Mandalay.After hearing about the fabulous wealth,the king started to invade the area. Thenthe Sab Bwa of Momeik made an agree-ment with King Avaking, establishingMogok as part of Burma, in return fortwelve specified villages. It is on recordthat in 1254, a pact was signed by KingAva and the Sab Bwa of Momeik settling

all their differences. The Mogok area wasnow a part of the Burma Kingdom andgem trading began. History has it that nomining operations were first required, sincethe gems were found everywhere.

According to a legend, an agent of KingMindon, named U Tun Po Hland, showeda ruby called the Ngamauk Ruby to a Frenchtrade mission, telling them that quantitiesof such valuable stones were to be foundin Mogok. At that time, France controlledSiam and now wanted to purchase thewhole Mogok area from King Mindon. Themembers of the trade mission were espe-cially impressed when the Ngaumauk Rubywas placed in a pan of water and the waterturned red, the color of the ruby. KingMindon flatly refused to sell, saying therewas not enough money in the world to buythe fabulous area. The ruby itself is saidto have become part of the famous BritishCrown Jewels. Although there was no de-scription given as to weight, subsequentaccounts made it a very large stone andprobably the famous one in the crownjewel collection that was tested a few yearsago and found to be a spinel.

In 1886, the British Government occu-pied Burma. After a victorious battle in theMogok area, Major Charles Barnard andhis troops took over. Barnard Village, whereperidots are found, is still in existence. OnMarch 29, 1888, the area was formed as theMogok Ruby Mines District, and Mr. G. M.S. Carter became its first administrator. Dis-tinct from other areas, it was ruled as aseparate entity and controlled solely by theBritish. Mr. A. R. Godbar was the last ad-ministrator in 1920.

In 1889, the Ruby Mine Company Syndi-cate, Ltd., was formed, capitalized by nu-merous English bankers and industrialists.It was handled by the management firm ofStreeter and Company in London. Accordingto agreement, this company paid the BritishCrown forty thousand rupees yearly plusone-sixth of all profits accumulated. Bar-rington Brow, M. P., was sent from Eng-

SPRING 1957 17

land to negotiate the first five-year contract,which expired in 1895.

Scientific mining began and several geolo-gists were sent to survey the Mogok area.They reported that the bulk of the gem-bearing gravel was located in the center oftown where most of the natives lived. Thecompany negotiated with the owners ofthese properties and bought all the hutslocated in the surveyed gem-bearing beds.The natives were given new homes or,where possible, old homes were moved tonew locations hacked out in nearby jungles.These moves presented no problems, sincethe natives were well compensated andwere promised employment.

Mining began immediately after thepeople were moved. Electricity was broughtto Mogok with the construction of a powerplant. Digging began and several millionsof dollars worth of rubies, sapphires, spinelsand other gems were mined. A single rubyof fabulous size, purportedly worth$100,000 (a lot of money in those days),was discovered. Profits were good for thefirst contract. The company and townspeoplewere happy with the new way of life.

As the contract had expired, in 1896 thecompany negotiated again with the BritishGovernment and agreed to pay a tax of3,150,000 kyats (about $800,000) plus one-fifth of the total profits for fourteen years.This contract included all the mines withina radius of ten miles of Mogok. Those werethe boom days with everyone working andmuch money in circulation.

In 1906, the company extended its miningoperations to other areas and bought allthe property in the city limits of Mogok,again moving homes to new sites. The origi-nal Mogok area is today the site of a beau-tiful lake in the center of town. Also, about1906, a 42-carat fine pigeon-blood ruby wasfound. After cutting, the ruby, weighingtwenty-two carats, was purchased by anIndian gem dealer, M. Chodilla, for 300,000kyats (over.$100,000).

Because of heavy rainfall and much ex-

cavating, pumping became a serious prob-lem. The hole would fill and stop all min-ing operations during the rainy season. Ex-perts from London solved the water problemby building tunnels for the water to flowoff from the hole; however, this proved tobe only a temporary solution. Tunnels cost-ing $200,000 were built into the mountainsbut after a year the same problem arose.

In 1914, affairs of the company beganchanging rapidly for the worse. Because ofstealing, technical problems and wide exten-sions, large sums of money were lost. Oper-tions were continued, however, until 1922,the expiration date of the contract, markingcessation of company operation. Some per-sonnel remained until 1928, working pri-vately with local people on a half-sharebasis. On August 28, 1928, this group at-tempted to remove the water from big tun-nels in order to empty the big hole. Thatventure culminated in disaster as the moun-tain side caved in; nevertheless, gem miningcontinued.

Before the beginning of World War I,an Englishman named Albert Ramsaysettled in Mogok as a lapidary and dealtin rough gems. His alert and inventive mindeventually made him the saviour of themining industry in Mogok. In previousyears, only the clear rubies, sapphires andspinels had been sought. Such stones werenot too plentiful, especially those of facet-ing quality. Mr. Ramsay began experiment-ing with translucent varieties of rubies andsapphires and found that by cutting certainof these crystals with the base perpendicularto the crystal axis, a star was formed. Here-tofore, such material had been ignored ashaving no market value. After his discoveryof the star, Mr. Ramsay began buying allthe material he could obtain and cut it intocabochons showing wonderful stars. It tookhim a long time to convince the jewelers ofEurope and America that this type of stonewould gain favor with the gem-loving pub-lic, but he finally succeeded and mining wasrevived in Mogok. Mr. Ramsay also con-

18 GEMS & GEMOLOGY

tinued in the rough-gem business and inMay, 1929, purchased a gem sapphireweighing 1029 carats for $30,000. Thirty-two pieces were cut from it, one of whichbrought the total amount paid for the origi-nal stone.

Because of pressure brought by the localpeople, new rules and regulations weremade in 1950 when homesteading of minesbegan. Claims were made by individuals andgranted by the Crown. The tax levy was 10rupees per miner employed. By this time,all company holdings had been abolishedand the machinery and electric plant weresold to a Mr. Morgan and a Mr. Nicols. Mr.Morgan has since died, but Mr. Nicholsstill carries on, supplying electricity to thewhole area. Secrecy surrounding all opera-tions makes it impossible to determine thetotal output of gems.

On May 7th, 1942, Mogok was invadedby the Japanese and all mining stopped.Miners dug holes in their backyards andunder their homes and discovered manygems. On March 15, 1945, the British armymoved in and the Japanese withdrew. Theindependence of Burma from British rulewas declared on January 5, 1948. Miningcontinues in the same primitive manner, butabout 1200 mines are now owned individu-ally. Some are just two- to three-man opera-tions, whereas others employ as many as fiftymen. All miners are shareholders and splitthe profits with the owners, thus largelyeliminating high grading.

JADE AND AMBER MINES

Both jade and amber occur in the north-ernmost part of Upper Burma, reached bya once-a-week flight from Rangoon to Myit-kyina. This village is in the eastern part ofthe so-called jade and amber belt and isvery near the border of Yunan Province ofChina. Mogaung, about fifty miles to thenorthwest of Myitkyina, is the last city inBurma with a railroad station. The centerof the jade- and amber-mining district isthe village of Mogaung, where the largest

deposits are found within a radius of seventy-five miles in all directions.

The jade mines of northern Burma containthe most important deposits of this interest-ing material in the world. The early Chineseprized it greatly and are said to have be-lieved that jade possessed magical qualitieswhich made it a sacred stone. Three thou-sand years ago, jade from this area wasbrought via the caravan route to the centerof China. Members of the Imperial Familyand the nobility of the Chou Dynasty woreornaments of delicately carved jade. Wea-pons of war such as swords, sabres, spearsand knives were also fashioned from thisprecious stone. Jade was even buried withthe dead in the belief that it would ward offevil spirits. It is no wonder, then, that allthe jade mined in this area found its wayto China. At a later date, its wonderfulqualities, such as color and durability, be-came known in the Western Hemisphere andthe demand increased greatly.

The jadeite region is almost inaccessiblemost of the year. During the monsoon sea-son, it is practically impossible to reach,since it is a highly dissected upland regionconsisting of ranges of mountains whichform the Chindwin-Irrawaddy Watershed. Itis higher in the north than in the south andTawman, one of the principal jade-miningdistricts, is situated on a plateau about threethousand feet above sea level. The highestmountain is Loimye, about a mile above sealevel. Tawman is about sixty-five miles fromMogaung. There is a road which is barelypassable even under the best conditions, sothe most satisfactory mode of transportation,if not the fastest, is by mule truck. Theseconditions are serious handicaps in any at-tempt to complete a geological survey ofthe area.

Jade mining progresses for only threemonths of the year, from March to May. Allmining activities cease with the coming ofthe rainy season, since the shafts fill withwater within a few days.

Many workings were observed by the au-

SPRING 1957 19

• Typical jade mine, with owner and two friends, in the Mogaung districtof Burma.

thor, who considered them all of similarnature. At the top, there is a very thick over-burden of red earth, probably the weatheringof serpentinized peridotites that form therock into which the jadeite albite mass is in-trusive. Below the serpentinized peridotiteslies a thin, earthy, very light chlorite schistlocally called "byindone." Below it is an am-phibole schist, or amphibolire. Next to thatis an amphibole-albitite rock which is under-lain by albitite and it, in turn, is underlainby jadeite.

The mining methods today are still thesame as those used a thousand years ago, ex-cept that hydraulic drills are now being usedin some areas. Before any jade mining isbegun, every worker, whether Kachin, Shan,Burman or Chinese, prays to the jade spirits,or Nates, in the belief that they will discovervaluable jade quickly if the Nats are pleased.Generally, the overburden is quarried with

picks and crowbars until a steep face is ob-tained. Water is dammed upstream to makeit flow over the steep face, washing awayall earth and leaving the boulders clearlyexposed for examination. It is well to re-member that the selection of the locality andall the work are started through pure in-stinct, an inner conviction of the minersrather than any scientific reasoning. Whenvaluable jade is discovered in one spot, allthe miners flock to it and work it until allthe jade has been removed. Consequently,they frequently forget where they hadworked last and begin digging in spots pre-viously mined, with much labor thus lost.Scientific mapping and a coordinated, well-organized mining program would certainlyyield large amounts of fine jade in this areaat a small percentage of the present cost tothe jade merchants, who do almost all thefinancing.

20 GEMS & GEMOLOGY

• Typical boulder of rough jade, just removed from mine, and stamped byofficials. Photo courtesy of Wen Ti Chang, Los Angeles

SPRING 1957 21

Rough jade, showing texture. Photo courtesy of Wen Ti Chang, Los Angeles

GEMS & GEMOLOGY

• Cutting jade cabochons in Mandalay, Burma. Note foot-driven pedal andcarborundum plate on which cabochons are preformed.

Photo courtesy of Edward R. Swoboda

SPRING 1957 23

There is a valuation committee in everyjade mine. When a piece of jade is found,the financier has it evaluated by this com-mittee, which receives a fee of five percentof the value. As a rule, such valuations arevery low. If the financier decides to keepthe jade, the miners receive half of theevaluated price. Ten percent more goes tothe local government under whose jurisdic-tion the stone is found. Values and evalua-tions are never mentioned but merely indi-cated among the interested parties by theconventional finger pressures under a hand-kerchief. It is costly to ship the jade boul-ders to Mogaung, the chief trading center.Sometimes, as many as fifty coolies are em-ployed to transport a boulder weighing aton. They proceed very slowly through therugged terrain until they reach a placewhere the jade can be placed in an oxcartand brought Mogaung. There, the Govern-ment again collects thirty-three and a thirdpercent of the value before the merchant ispermitted to ship his jade out of Burma.

Up to this point, the value is merely afictitious figure without any actual basis. Themain thought is to have as low an evalua-tion as possible until all government taxesare paid. Then, the jades are prepared forlocal auctions and for export in the follow-ing manner: Each boulder is weighed and aseal is placed upon it. At strategic points,cuts of approximately three-fourths inch inwidth and one-half inch in depth are madein each boulder and polished to show thecolor. The Chinese jade dealers pride them-selves on being able to determine the valueof each jade boulder by the appearance ofthe polished cut. On certain days, auctionsales are held for the prospective purchasers.

The auctions differ greatly from ours,since there is no audible competitive bid-ding. The purchaser accompanies the auc-tioneer along the path on which the bouldersare displayed. A stop is made before eachnumbered boulder in which the purchaserexpresses interest. With his hand and theauctioneer's hand covered by a cloth, the

bidder makes his offer by pressure on theauctioneer's fingers, thus insuring absolutesecrecy in each transaction. In the evening,the sales are completed and the bouldersturned over to the highest bidders.

It is not unusual for many boulders to re-main unsold during these auctions. They arethen shipped to dealers in Hong Kong forsimilar auction sales. From a scientific pointof view, it is a real gamble to buy jade inthis manner. The purchasers are actuallygamblers rather than jade experts. Muchmoney has been lost by these superficialmethods of purchasing.

All jades leaving Burma are shipped fromMogaung after clearance by the Govern-ment agency. Boulders of jadeite are wrappedin a heavy, dark sailcloth tied with hemprope and shipped by Irrawaddy River boatsto Rangoon, where they are put on boatsgoing to Hong Kong. Also, a considerablequantity is smuggled across the border toYunan, Communist-controlled China, bymules. Prior to the Communist occupation ofChina, jade was shipped to Canton, Shang-hai and Peiping. Approximately fifteen per-cent of all jades, the poorest quality, re-mains in Burma and is usually sold in Man-dalay, where there are many jade cutters andjewelry manufacturers.

Burmese amber was highly prized by theChinese even before the beginning of theChristian era. Burmese amber is very differ-ent from amber extracted in the Baltic Seain East Prussia. The Burmese type is agolden color with a beautiful bluish streakthrough it and is strongly fluorescent evenin ordinary sunlight. It is also purer, harder,and tougher than the Prussian amber, thusmaking it excellent material for cutting andcarving into figures, snuff bottles, vases andvarious Chinese carved objets d'art. Theonly other occurrence of amber of similarquality is in Sicily; this amber possesses thesame fluorescent phenomenon.

Amber occurs in the lower tertiaries,which consist of finely bedded dark schists,blue shale and sandstone, the shales being

24 GEMS & GEMOLOGY

generally predominant. In some places, thetwo are alternately interbedded with a fewlayers of limestone conglomerate. Sometimes,sandstone of various shades of blue and pinkare almost laminated, and in places containshaly concretions which vary in diameterfrom one to several inches. Generally, thesandstone and shale bear carbonaceous im-pressions; sometimes, these rocks containvery thin coal seams in which amber is im-bedded in the form of concretions. Becauseof the soft nature of the shale and sand-stone, few good exposures are seen on thesurface.

Amber mines are located in the northern-most section of Burma and extend in astraight line to the border of Assam, throughMyitkyina to the Yunan border. HukawangValley, comprising the villages of Maing-kwan and Kamaung, is the chief source. Inmost mines, amber occurs in pockets em-bedded in blue sandstone or dark-blue shalewith a fine coal seam. The presence of coalseams is a favorable sign for the occurrenceof good amber. Amber usually occurs inelliptical pieces and occasionally in blocklikeforms. The best amber is found at a depthof about thirty-five to fifty feet, very seldomin large blocks, the average size being thatof a normal closed fist.

The method of mining amber is as primi-tive as that of mining jade. The mine is awell-like affair about four feet square anddescends to a maximum depth of approxi-mately fifty feet. Four miners work in eachpit. Two dig underground with a hoe. Theother two haul up the mass in a rattan basketwith a long hooked bamboo rod and examineeach basket for amber. The pits are linedwith a bamboo barricade which appearsflimsily constructed but does hold the pitwithout caving in. It seemed like a miracleto the author, since there are many pitsclose together.

The progress in a pit is very slow; usuallytwo men dig about two feet in a day. Allmining is stopped when a hard layer of sandis reached, since the miners believe there is

no amber beneath the sand. It might proveinteresting to sink a few bores much deeperto test their theory. Much of the amber thusmined remains in the area and is made intoearrings, bracelets and other popular jewelryworn by the natives of the Hukawang Val-ley. Chinese merchants, too, purchase greatquantities of amber, especially the largerpieces which are suitable for carved objectsd'art. They export these pieces to Chinawhere most of the carving is done. Some ofthis amber also finds its way to the Europeanmarket.

GEM TRADING

Traditionally, the gem dealers of Indiaare the most important in the Orient. Per-haps the widespread impression that rubiesand sapphires originate in India stems fromthe fact that the bulk of gemstones foundin Ceylon, Siam and Burma is purchased byIndian dealers who keep in close touch withthe gem-producing mines. There they haveinformants from whom the dealers purchaseinformation about new discoveries of gems.Because so many engage in gem trading,competition is very keen. Besides the Indiamarkets, they also supply the Western mar-kets via Paris, where many gem-buying of-fices are located. Purchasers from all overthe world generally find it much more con-venient to do their buying in Paris, wherethe Indian dealers keep their outlets wellsupplied.

During the height of Britain's power inIndia, the maharajas were the wealthy,chosen few who were able to buy the ex-pensive gems. Each one tried to outdo theothers in acquiring important gems, just asart collectors do in Europe and the UnitedStates. Consequently, for a long period oftime, few large gems reached the Westernmarkets.

In the Orient, a Western purchaser ofgems encounters strange difficulties, one ofwhich is the lack of any division between thewholesale and retail trade. In India, theprocedure is simple. One chooses a recom-

SPRING 1957 25

• Author's agent, U Khin Maung, withassorted gem gravel.

Photo courtesy of Edward R. Swoboda

mended, reliable firm of gem dealers to actas purchasing agents. They sell their ownmaterial and are familiar with the entiremarket as well. A verbal agreement is madegiving them a percentage ranging from twoto five percent on all outside purchases madein their offices. Word spreads rapidly thatan important purchaser is in town and brok-ers stand in long lines to show their gems.The prospective purchaser is given the op-portunity to examine the merchandise andput aside interesting items, together with themarked asking prices, for further considera-tion and bargaining. At the end of the day,the gems are examined carefully and leisure-ly and marked with the offered prices. Thefollowing day, the bargaining ensues andthose papers of stones are purchased onwhich a price agreement is reached.

The procedure just described is one usedin all Oriental countries except Burma,where it is quite different. Upon arrival inRangoon, one must immediately seek a re-liable man to act as interpreter, broker andagent. This is an important choice, deter-mining in no small measure the future suc-cess of the purchaser. In Rangoon, there aremany dealers who also own retail stores con-taining large stocks of gems that have beenbrought to them by the brokers from theMogok area. As a rule, there is little ma-terial of fine quality in the hands of suchdealers.

If one desires to engage in gem purchasingwith the convenience and comforts of a goodhotel and fairly decent food, one can remainin Rangoon and do the best he can with hisbuying. A few telegrams to Mogok may

26 GEMS & GEMOLOGY

• Maung Myint, gem dealer of Mogok,showing rough ruby and sapphire.

Photo courtesy of Edward R. Swoboda

bring some brokers down to show their gems.However, this is a poor arrangement fortrying to buy the finest. The only way to seeand buy is to go to the source at Mogok.For this prospect, the broker-agent-in-terpreter becomes even more important!

Once in Mogok, an entirely new set ofproblems arises. As mentioned previously,there are about 1200 mines in the area andit is impossible to visit all of them evenover a long period of time. Therefore, it isadvisable to visit the most important dealersfirst to ascertain what they have to offer.Most surprising is the reluctance with whichstones are shown. It seems that the dealersstall on showing until they learn approxi-mately how much money the would-be pur-chaser has available. A few good: startingpurchases go a long way in establishing one's

reputation as a buyer with serious intentionsto acquire fine gems. The buyer's opportuni-ties increase as the rumors spread quicklyamong all the inhabitants.

Contrary to custom in other Oriental coun-tries, the startling fact revealed during avisit to Mogok is that the women are thegem merchants, rather than the men! Themost influential dealers are women who areshrewd, cunning and seemingly able to readthe purchaser's mind instinctively. In somecases, the bargaining may be done by themen, but no deal is ever concluded withoutthe full consent of the women in the house-hold—usually the mother, mother-in-law andwife.

On my first visit to Mogok, my experi-ences and feelings were mixed—amazing, ex-asperating, frustrating, instructive and illu-

SPRING 1957 27

minating. My agent and I started out earlyone morning to begin my purchasing trans-actions. Our first stop was at the home ofthe most important dealer in Mogok. Aftertwo hours of imbibing the customary cupsof coffee and tea, along with much conver-sation, I became impatient and asked myagent about seeing stones. While studyingmy face intently, the dealer finally exhibitedone stone paper containing a very poor starsapphire. Although I wasn't at all interestedin it, I wanted to be polite and inquiredabout the price. If I recall correctly, I hadalready judged $25 to be a fair price. Whenmy agent informed me that it was the equiva-lent of $500, I almost exploded but casuallytossed the stone back to the dealer. I askedto see more stones but was told most po-litely but firmly that there were no others.

We visited five more dealers that day withsimilar experiences for me at the home ofeach. One or two stones would be shown attremendously exaggerated prices that werecompletely out of line. Even though I knewthat the prices were inflated for bargaining,I thought it would be ridiculous to makeoffers amounting to perhaps five to ten per-cent of the asking prices. That evening, Iwent over the day's experiences and dis-cussed them with my agent. I must digressfor a moment at this point to emphasize thatgreat reverence and respect are accorded toage by all Burmese. Because my agent wasa much younger man than I, that instinctiverespect for my age prevented him from giv-ing me an immediate analysis of my day'serrors. After long discussion, I finally didgather that it was considered bad -form notto make an offer on merchandise for sale, nomatter how low. I asked whether my offerof $2 for a stone quoted at $100 would notbe considered insulting. He assured me thatany offer would be graciously received as acompliment to the gemstones, but theeventual selling price would depend on thebuyer's patience and bargaining abilities.Time is of no importance in the Orient andlong, patient bargaining is an essential part

of trading there. My agent further explainedthe high asking prices as an attempt bythe dealers to learn the purchaser's idea of astone's worth. Apparently, "Let the buyerbeware" is the slogan!

It took me a while to assimilate this in-formation and try to act accordingly, sinceit was so different from our way of conduct-ing business. However, I knew that I mustfollow my agent's advice in order to makeprogress. The next morning, we started outagain to another dealer. After the usual long-drawn-out preliminaries of coffee, tea andconversation, I was at last shown a fine gemsapphire weighing six carats for the askingprice of $3,000. After careful examination,I decided that I could pay $600 for it andasked my agent to offer $300 giving myselfenough leeway for the expected bargaining.Although I couldn't understand the ensuingconversation, I saw the dealer's smile expressappreciation for the offer. He said "Quarre,"which I had learned means, "Too far apart."I instructed my agent to tell him that hewas asking much more than the stone wasworth, and that I would raise my offer a bitif he would come down. The next priceasked was $1,000, already a two-thirds re-duction ! I had my first feeling that gem buy-ing in Mogok might eventually prove success-ful. I raised my first offer by $100, and hewent down another $100. Whereupon myagent suggested that we let the dealer thinkit over and we would return the next day.The following morning, I requested the low-est price and was told that the very lowestwas $700, "Take it or leave it," My finaloffer was $600, which was accepted, leavingme in a much more cheerful frame of mindabout the entire situation. With my newlyacquired education, I was able to make manysatisfactory purchases.

After a week, word had spread that I wasa good purchaser who paid high prices.Brokers came with gems from many dealerswe hadn't visited, and prospects for a mostsuccessful purchasing trip increased day byday. In the process, I slowly became aware

28 GEMS & GEMOLOGY

of an important factor in the economic lifeof the miners. Their living conditions aremost primitive, requiring an infinitesimalsum of money for all their needs. The mostprosperous family spends no more than athousand dollars a year for all living ex-penses. As a result, their wealth is measuredin terms of the quantity of their stocks ofgems. After a dealer sells enough materialto provide for his needs for a long time, heis no longer interested in selling. The fol-lowing experience is a good example. Ifound a miner with twenty pieces of roughperidot which interested me greatly. He sim-ply refused to sell them because he didn'twant any more money until after the Bur-mese New Year, three months hence. Myagent's and my persuasion were of no avail.He didn't need the money and wouldn't selluntil he did, regardless of the possibility ofreceiving less at a later date. He was quitepositive that prices would not go down,since all the miners and dealers were learn-ing that prices were continually rising—which also made for reluctance in selling.They believe it is the better part of wisdomto hold their gems.

The only saving factor in the whole situa-tion is the great devotion to Buddhism prac-ticed by these people, coupled with eachone's desire to outdo the other in the build-ing of magnificent pagodas and temples.Such a purpose on the part of any dealergreatly faci l i ta tes business negotiations !Whereas their personal living standards areso low, they do not hesitate to spend enor-mous sums of money, sometimes as muchas $100,000, to build beautiful temples andpagodas—and with modern sanitary facilitiesso conspicuously absent in their own homes.

Every dealer claims exclusive connectionswith certain miners to supply him only withtheir rough stones. Of late, however, theminers have been learning that they have notbeen receiving full prices and that the deal-ers have been taking advantage of them.Consequently, they offer their gems to morethan one dealer and accept the highest offers

for their rough, thus placing the dealers ina highly competitive position. It is extremelydifficult to determine the yield from a roughpiece of sapphire or ruby, thus making ita really speculative business. The dealerssuffer much loss when the rough proves dis-appointing after cutting.

Alternating in the villages of Mogok andKyatpin, there is a bazaar held every fivedays where the populace buys its supplies ofgroceries and vegetables. Miners and gemdealers also contribute to this colorful event.Dealers are always recognized by the um-brellas they carry at all times—their badgeof office, as it were! Individual miners offerthem rough material. My only purchase in amarket place was a lot of rough rubies forwhich the miner began by asking $1000 andafter much bargaining accepted my offer of$1.

An amusing purchase I made was at thesite of a one-man controlled ditch. Thisminer showed me a rough piece of ruby thatdisplayed very strong asterism. After myexpression of interest, the customary bargain-ing began. Before long, we had a group ofmen, women and children surrounding usand enjoying the proceedings. When I finallycompleted my purchase, the people standingaround claimed a commission from me, say-ing they were all brokers in the deal. It wassaid good naturedly and with much laughter.I settled the matter by giving the brokeragefee to a few of the smallest children, andmy decision was applauded as a wise man.

For many years, rumors have been circu-lating that the Mogok area is being workedout and will soon stop yielding any gems.My observations have convinced me thatmining there will flourish for an indefiniteperiod, and that huge quantities of gem-stones worth many millions of dollars arestill in the hands of the dealers. I learnedthat many of them have had gems in theirpossession for almost half a century. To illus-trate, I am thinking of an eighty-two-year-oldman I visited. He dreams away the dayswith his opium pipe and is loath to part

SPRING 1957

with any of his gems. The dealers in Mogokhave been unsuccessful in their attempts tobuy one of them. Because my agent's motherwas a friend of the old man, I thought I hada good starting point in my quest. Wevisited one morning and found the old mansquatting in a corner smoking his pipe. Forfour hours, talk flowed back and forth with-out any reference to .business—we were en-joying a social visit. Finally, the conversationveered to the topic of gems and, most fortu-nately for me, the name of Albert Ramsaywas mentioned. It seems that when he was ayoungster, the old man had worked for Mr.Ramsay and thought very highly of him.When my agent informed him that I hadknown Mr. Ramsay (since we had been lo-cated in the same office building in NewYork), the old man declared that any friendof Mr. Ramsay's was a friend of his; and,eventually, he decided to show me a few ofhis gemstones. He never exhibited more thanone stone at a time. After each deal wasconcluded, he would disappear into a littlecubicle covered by a curtain and emerge withanother stone. How I wished I could peekat the treasure I knew was hidden behindthat curtain! Rumor had it that the old man'sstock of gems was worth more than a mil-lion dollars and dated back to the time ofthe Ruby Company, which had ceased activi-ties in 1922.

Almost without exception, in every pur-chase I made, the starting price asked wasat least ten times higher than the actualvalue. Only once was I offered stones at aprice I thought they were worth and waswilling to pay. However, that willingnessalmost cost me my reputation as a gem mer-chant! It was a box of spinels of fine qualityfor which the dealer asked $300, a price I

considered fair and agreed to pay. I shallnever forget his expression and the changein him at my ready acquiescence. He turnedpale and told my agent I must be a smart onewho was trying to take advantage of a poor,simple dealer. He threatened to tell the otherdealers I couldn't be trusted; and my agentand I were really in a dilemma. I thoughtfast and said to my agent that the offer neednot be accepted, at the same time passingthe box of spinels back to him. My agentthen made the proper move. He took theblame in translating incorrectly, saying Ihad merely repeated the dealer's statementof price. My agent whispered to me to makean offer of $150, which I did. After somebargaining, I bought the spinels for $200,absolved of all blame and $100 to the good!

As mentioned previously, the women arethe bosses of the gem trade in Mogok. Theyhave the final decision in all transactions in-volving the larger and more importantstones, but they do consult their men, whoare in partnership with them in such deals.However, the men have nothing to do withthe trading in stones of small sizes. Suchbusiness is exclusively the province of theMogok women and a lucrative one it is.Women throughout Burma wear jewel studsin their blouses and other apparel and arevery fond of gemstones mounted in brace-lets, earrings, pins and necklaces. A numberof manufacturing jewelers in Mogok makeattractive well-designed pieces in 22-karatgold. The women gem dealers consider thetrading in small stones their bread-and-butter business; but from my own observa-tions, I would say that it keeps them in cake,too! It is a steady, profitable, year-roundbusiness.

30 GEMS & GEMOLOGY