The Burma Ruby Ban and Alternate Ruby Sources
Photomicrograph by Christopher Smith, 45x.
The Winza ruby deposit has only been producing significant quantities of rubies since early 2008. Interestingly, many of the very fine stones from this intriguing deposit have not required heating to modify or enhance its color and appearance. Some of the distinctive features of these rubies include certain spectroscopic, as well as microscopic characteristics, such as the pronounced growth structures in coordination with blue color zones and tubules that are filled with epigenetic weathering minerals shown on the left.
In 2008, the Tom Lantos Block Burmese Jade act of 2008 effectively halted the importation of rubies and jade mined from Burma, closing a previous loophole left by the Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003. Christopher Smith presented about this ban and alternate sources of rubies at the World of Gems Conference in the Autumn of 2008.
To download a copy click here
