Massive 11,000-carat ruby unearthed in Myanmar’s war-scarred gemstone heartland

Myanmar’s newly discovered ruby displayed at the President’s Office in Naypyitaw (Myanmar Military True News Information Team via AP Photo)

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 south-east Asian nation, state media reported.

The ruby, measuring 11,000 carats (2.2kg, or 4.8lbs), 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.