In Search Of The Precious Stone

Albert Ramsay (Albert Ramsay & Co, 1925) writes:

From Siam I turned my attention to the famous ruby mines in Burma. Those unversed in mineralogy it is difficult to conceive sapphires and rubies belonging to the same species. Such is the case however, as both are corundum and possess similar physical characteristics—color excepted. They rank in hardness second only to the diamond. Carat for carat rubies of the first quality are rarer and consequently more valuable than diamonds of a corresponding grade. No other stone increases as rapidly in value in proportion to increase in weight as does the ruby. Dark red rubies are found in Siam and purplish ones in Ceylon but Burma alone may claim the wonderful pigeon-blood ruby.

To reach the mines I went first to Rangoon, the capital of Burma. The outstanding feature of Rangoon is the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, glittering in its golden armor. In passing, a few words descriptive of this Buddhist holy-of-holies might be apropos. Erected in 588 B.C according to tradition three women were buried alive during the rites which accompanied its inception. The Pagoda, 370 feet high, is built in the center of a vast terrace 166 feet above the ground. Upon its summit is a sort of network headpiece dangling with bells. This structure is jewel-encrusted, the upper dome being covered with eight-of-an-inch thick plates of solid gold, and the lower part overlaid with burnished goldleaf. Above all floats a banner studded with gems worth more then $1,000,000. The Shwe Dagon is surrounded by some fifteen hundred minor pagodas which, with their garish trimmings and waxwork show of alabaster images, impart the atmosphere of a fair to the entire scene.

The narrow, tortuous streets of Rangoon swarm with yellow-robed Buddhist priests, grotesque in appearance, their heads and eyebrows shaven in accordance with the mandates of their creed. The prevalence of holy men in Burma is due to a custom whereby the sons of the better families devote a certain portion of their lives to the priesthood, just as, in more civilized countries, young ladies attend convents with a view to culture and education.

Mandalay, immortalized in verse by Kipling, was reached after an eighteen hour rail journey to the northward. There I embarked upon the Irrawaddy, one of India’s great rivers. All day the quaint steamer nosed its way cautiously upstream, following the twistings and turnings of the tortuous channel. The overhanging ferns caressed the surface of the sluggish stream and each feathery leaf of the palms lining the banks found its counterpart mirrored upon the glassy surface of the backwaters. Huge rafts of teak logs, manned by Burmans, drifted slowly by, upon their journey to the sea. Waterfowl, disturbed in their quest for fish amid the bending reeds, took wing with a whirr calculated to gladden the heart of the sportsman. When night settled upon the jungle it was necessary to drop anchor owing to the dangers attending navigation in the dark. The moon, red and hot-looking, peered from behind the distant hills and, as if satisfied with what it had seen, climbed into the star-dusted heavens to be reflected later upon the river’s expanse in all of its silvery splendor. I reached Thabeitkin the following morning.

Thabeitkin is a small village and impresses one with the belief that is clinging desperately to the riverbank lest the jungle, encroaching upon the three remaining sides, succeed in crowding it into the stream. When I arrived, the village was in a state of excitement bordering upon panic over the recent destruction of one of the inhabitants by two man-eating tigers. These beasts are held in such mortal dread by the natives and so many terrifying tales are told of their depredations that I climbed into dark and I freely confess that I spent a very restless night. The following day i was so engrossed in preparations for my trip to Mogok, the ruby mines re located, that all disturbing thought of the predatory felines was banished. The British government has connected Thabeitkin and Mogok by an excellent road, seventy miles in length. The journey is a gentle ascent and the scenery, interesting for the entire distance, is particularly beautiful when nearing Mogok from which point a panoramic view of the surrounding country is obtained. Mogok, being about five thousand feet higher than the river, has a climate delightfully cool in contrast to the heat prevailing in the valley. The mining district comprises about two hundred square miles and the mines, controlled by the Burma Ruby Company, are worked in accordance with the most modern practice, surrounding hills being gradually leveled in the course of operations. Through a coincidence the finest ruby ever found in these mines was discovered on Armistice Day, 1918. It was christened ‘The Peace Ruby’ and was purchased by a native merchant for $100,000. He later sold it to an Indian Rajah. The choicest rubies are sent to the London market and the company holds weekly sales at which the native buyers purchase the balance of the output. After crudely cutting the stones thus obtained the dealers dispose of them to outside interests.

In Search Of The Precious Stone (continued)