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A massive 11,000-carat ruby has been unearthed in Myanmar’s war-scarred gemstone heartland
AP News ^ | May 08, 2026 | Staff

Posted on 05/09/2026 8:29:32 PM PDT by Red Badger

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.

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

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.

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.

Myanmar produces as much as 90% of the world’s 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 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.

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: History; Outdoors; Science; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: burma; mandalay; mogok; monghsu; myanmar; ruby; whydidyousayburma

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1 posted on 05/09/2026 8:29:32 PM PDT by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

Looks like a failed baking experiment using too much red dye.


2 posted on 05/09/2026 8:31:27 PM PDT by Paladin2 ( YMMV)
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To: Red Badger

Ruby Ruby by Dion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-a9DtPAm4w

Ruby, ruby, will you be mine?


3 posted on 05/09/2026 8:31:34 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: Paladin2

Looks like a giant strawberry...............


4 posted on 05/09/2026 8:31:54 PM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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To: frank ballenger

One of my sisters is named Ruby. She was born right around the time that song was on the radios of America!................


5 posted on 05/09/2026 8:34:23 PM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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To: Red Badger

Aww, that’s just a rotting strawberry!


6 posted on 05/09/2026 8:40:32 PM PDT by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: Red Badger

Nice to display in your rock collection, but doesn’t look to be a gem.


7 posted on 05/09/2026 8:48:04 PM PDT by ETCM (“There is no security, no safety, in the appeasement of evil.” — Ronald Reagan)
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To: Red Badger

My birth stone. Neat-o….


8 posted on 05/09/2026 8:58:04 PM PDT by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum…)
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To: Red Badger

Blood rubies?


9 posted on 05/09/2026 8:59:20 PM PDT by rktman (Destroy America from within? On hold! Enlisted USN 1967 proudly. 🚫💉! 🇮🇱🙏! Winning currently!)
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To: All

It has fairly obviously had nail polish put on it to enhance the color. Looks like they tried at least two different shades, maybe three, before they settled on the best color..

That said , the stone has potential to be a pretty decent “Star Ruby” if properly oriented when cut and polished.


10 posted on 05/09/2026 9:06:12 PM PDT by LegendHasIt
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To: Paladin2

Seriously.

Kinda ugly.


11 posted on 05/09/2026 9:11:24 PM PDT by Salamander ( Please visit my profile page to help me go home again. https://www.givesendgo.com/GCRRDa)
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To: telescope115

Mine too but my mom gave me a garnet ring when I was a kid because rubies are too ugly.

Somewhere I have a big ruby set in silver that’s just hideous.

Pretty much just an interesting rock and little more


12 posted on 05/09/2026 9:14:19 PM PDT by Salamander ( Please visit my profile page to help me go home again. https://www.givesendgo.com/GCRRDa)
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To: Red Badger

Looks like something I pulled out of a big fish I catch at the coast.


13 posted on 05/09/2026 9:15:42 PM PDT by Organic Panic
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To: ETCM

“ moderate transparency”

Cloudy and boring.


14 posted on 05/09/2026 9:16:28 PM PDT by Salamander ( Please visit my profile page to help me go home again. https://www.givesendgo.com/GCRRDa)
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To: Organic Panic

Diamonds.
Rubies.
Emeralds.

Meh

Show me a big chunk of polished Baltic amber with cool inclusions and I’ll get excited.


15 posted on 05/09/2026 9:20:19 PM PDT by Salamander ( Please visit my profile page to help me go home again. https://www.givesendgo.com/GCRRDa)
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To: Red Badger

So how much is it worth? Without that info the article is useless.


16 posted on 05/09/2026 9:51:02 PM PDT by norcal joe ( )
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To: Red Badger

Dang!
That’s where I lost it...


17 posted on 05/09/2026 10:46:53 PM PDT by SuperLuminal (Where is rabble-rising Sam Adams now that we need him? Is his name Trump, now?)
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To: norcal joe
So how much is it worth? Without that info the article is useless.

Best‑case: large carat-sized pigeon‑blood rubies of highest quality like this one will fetch $100,000–$1Million+ per carat.

In other words, this 11,000 carat Mogok ruby from Mandalay, when cut and polished expertly, will sell for five to six billions of dollars ($5-6,000,000,000).

18 posted on 05/09/2026 11:09:47 PM PDT by henbane (✧ 𝕁𝔸ℕ𝕌𝔸ℝ𝕐 𝟚𝟘 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟝--𝕄𝔸𝔾𝔸 𝕄𝔸𝔾ℕ𝕀𝔽𝕀ℂ𝕌𝕊 ✧)
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To: henbane

Get out.


19 posted on 05/10/2026 12:22:44 AM PDT by nwrep
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To: henbane

Million per carat? So many times more valuable than diamonds?

I found 2-50000k but that was cut, imagine alot of that stone would be lost in cutting
Still pretty wild


20 posted on 05/10/2026 4:48:51 AM PDT by blitz128
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