This stone, quite possibly the most famous gem in the entire world, is the Black Princes Ruby. As large as a hens egg, weighing approximately 170 carats, and measuring five centimeters in length, the Black Princes Ruby is a spectacular red, and it seems to glow with an internal fire of its own. It is so remarkable that it has become one of the worlds most cherished jewels. But did you know that the Black Princes Ruby really isnt a ruby at all? Its actually a spinel, and it has a long and fascinating history.

The gems first known owner was Abu Said, a Moorish prince of Granada in Spain in the mid-1300s. Abu Said lost the gem, as well as his crown and his life, to Don Pedro the Cruel of Seville. In 1366 Don Pedros own brother attacked him, but Don Pedro successfully defended himself with help from the armies of the Black Prince of Bordeaux. As payment, the Black Prince demanded Don Pedros prize jewel, and Don Pedro was in no position to argue.

How the Black Princes Ruby came to England is unknown, but it made its next historical appearance in a jeweled helmet worn by the English king, Henry V, at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. The helmet saved Henrys life when a blow from the battle-axe of the French duke of Alencon nearly destroyed it. Both the king and the helmet miraculously survived the war, and the Black Princes Ruby remained in English hands.

Later, King James the First had the gem set into the state crown, and, despite many threats of theft, fire, and even Nazi bombs, over the centuries the Black Princes Ruby has remained the magnificent center-piece of the British royal regalia.

While the Black Princes Ruby is by far the worlds most famous red spinel, it is definitely not the only one ever possessed or coveted by kings, queens, and emperors. The Timur Ruby, also in the Crown Jewels of England, is even larger, weighing 361 carats, or more than 70 grams. It is inscribed with the names of six of its former owners. The Kremlin Museum in Moscow has another giant gem that probably belonged to the Tsar; this one weighs 414 carats.

The most dazzling collection of fine red spinels is found in the Crown Jewels of Iran. The majority were plundered from India when the Mogul Empire fell. The largest one weighs about 500 carats, and it is indeed the biggest on record. Many others weigh over 100 carats, and more than  a dozen have been carved with the name of Jahangir, a Mogul emperor over 350 years ago.

Once you have seen a fine red spinel, you will easily understand why ancient royalty esteemed it as much as ruby, and sometimes even more. Top quality red spinels and rubies have superb pure red colors, and they actually fluoresce, or glow, in natural light. These similarities led to some confusion in early history when people classified gems only by their colors. They called all blue gems sapphires, all green gems emeralds, and all red gems rubies; spinels were called "Balas rubies," after a region in northern India known as Balascia, where they were first reportedly mined.

Later, when people learned that gems of the same color are not necessarily the same kind of material, they still had difficulty separating red spinel and ruby. Not only do the two gems have the same color and fluorescence, but they are often found together in the same mines, and rubys physical properties are very similar to spinels; ruby is only slightly more dense and slightly harder. (Spinel is actually as hard or harder than emerald, topaz, quartz, and all but five other natural minerals.)

Despite its fame in the ancient world, red spinel has never been as abundant as ruby, and today it is quite difficult to find. The old mines in Afghanistan that produced so many of the giant stones in the Moguls collections seem to have been worked out, and the gem gravels of Sri Lanka and Africa, which give up many beautiful pastel colored spinels, only rarely contain gems with the pure intense red color of the Black Princes Ruby.

Now only the famous mines of Mogok, Burma, hold substantial quantities of fine red spinels. Jealously guarded by the Burmese kings until 1885, controlled by a monopoly under the British Empire, and then nationalized by a socialist government in 1962, Mogoks mines have scarcely had a chance to live up to their potential. While a few beautiful red gems have been smuggled out through the gauntlet of jungle, opium warlords, rebels, and soldiers that make up the Burmese hinterland, these exquisite gems have only been able to offer enticing hints of the sumptuous jewels that must still lie hidden in the mountains of Mogok. No one really knows how many gems remain there undiscovered, but perhaps there is still one that will rival even the Black Princes Ruby and remind us all of the days when kings and emperors held sway over vast domains and counted their wealth by the natural beauty that they owned.

Red Stones, the "Flesh and Blood of Mother Earth", are unusually common in this area (700 kilometers north of Rangoon) where a range of high hills and deep valleys form a natural border with the Shan Plateau. The Kyatpyin, Kathe and Luda Valleys enclose the major mining areas. The reputation of these areas as a source of fine gems was well documented in many of the reports written by early travelers and missionaries. One Nicolo Di Conti, who visited the kingdom of Ava, had described its King riding on his white elephant adorned with golden necklaces set with sparkling gemstones (1419-44). Later on, in 1568, an Englishman named Ralph Fitch gave the following description: "Capalan (Kyapyin) is the place where they find the rubies, sapphires, and spinels. It standeth six days journey from Ava into the kingdom of Pegu. There are many great high hilles out of which they digge them. None may go to the pits but only those which digge them" (1586, in Hakluyat).

A few years later in 1597, the Burmese King Nuha Thura Maha Dhama Yaza annexed the area. The previous ruler, a Shan prince, received the unimportant city of Momeit in exchange. The deal probably reflected the balance of power between the two leaders. The Burmese Monarch ruled the area in a greedy and ruthless manner, inflicting heavy taxes on the miners and cruel punishments for those who didnt obey. The story of Nga Mauks ruby is an example of this prevailing situation. Nga Mauk was a simple miner until one day he found a huge ruby. He cut the stone in two equal pieces: one, as the law required, went straight to the King; the other half he secretly sold to a local merchant. When the King found out, he gathered the villagers of the area and ordered them all to be burned alive. With time, production in the area declined. Having no incentives to justify hard physical work and no change in the inhumane and mindless policies of the ruling elite, many miners left Mogok.

In 1886, three hundred years after the visit of Ralph Fitch (who was, incidentally, the first Englishman to visit Mogok), the British Army took over Upper Burma and, three years later, the "Burma Ruby Mines Company" was established. Edwin Streeter, a jeweler from London, was the driving force behind the group that included some prominent financial figures of the time, such as the Rothschilds of London. High expectations eventually met with a humid and muddy reality as the area lies isolated in the middle of harsh, mountainous jungle. However, in those days, the British were at the peak of their colonial form. Realizing that the richest deposits were under the village of Mogok itself, they proceeded to relocate the entire village and followed up by building a 400-kilowatt hydroelectric station,(in later days electricity was the only product of the "Burma Ruby Mines Company"), five washing mills and a mile-long tunnel carved out of solid rock. The tunnel was build to prevent seasonal floods in the area of the workings. The whole area was bustling with activity, reaching as far as Kyatapin, some 12 kilometers from Mogok. Thousands of tons of earth were processed through the washing mills daily.

The year 1908 marked the beginning of a down turn. The appearance of the first man-made stone, the "Verneuil Synthetic Ruby", spread panic among ruby buyers. Sales declined dramatically. Global slowdown, caused by the First World War, took its toll as well and the "Burma Ruby Mines Company" suffered heavy losses. Later, the rainy season of 1929 was unusually heavy. Torrential rains destroyed most of the electrical equipment and the tunnel. The company survived until 1931, when it returned its lease to the government. In the aftermath of the collapse, fingers were pointed at the management which, at one stage, had been running the mining operations with no discernible logic: mining schedules and locations were chosen randomly. Others openly blamed a rising competitor, De Beers, for manipulating the situation. Massive production of fine rubies could be a serious hindrance to their promotion campaign of diamonds.

Mogok went back to the old methods and native mining continued as usual. It stopped completely however for three years (between 1942-1945), when the Japanese occupied Burma. After the Second World War, native mining flourished again, but then nearly came to a halt in 1963 when the Burmese governments began its nationalization program for all of the countrys principal industries, including mining.

In the heyday of socialism, private dealing or even possession of gemstones was illegal. At the mines, army officers and generals replaced experienced operators. The results were terrible: overall output declined to nil, the area was in total disarray. Illegal mining and smuggling increased. Things started to change after the civil uprising of 1988. An ancient rival, Thailand, cashing in on the foreign investment and know-how, which was helping to liberalize its economic policies, started showing signs of growing economic success. This, and the fact that the Thai ruby industry was using a hefty slice of Mong Hsu material, caused the old generals to think twice about the benefits of isolationism. These days, the "Myanmar Gems Enterprise" is the official government body in charge of overseeing the gem industry in Myanmar (Burma). Under their administration, government policies covering mining and gem exporting have begun to improve the situation (although not sufficiently). However, if they maintain this course, it might be possible to see the industry growing in the right direction and then, the secret marvels of Mogok, an ancient dormant beauty, may one day be revealed again to the world.

This short article was based mainly on a new book "Ruby & Sapphire" by Richard W. Hughes.

The book weights 2.4 kilos and is well worth its weight in rubies and spinels. Detailed, accurate, rich and colorful, it contains thousand of references and hundreds of excellent photos. Those familiar with Hughes writing will find here yet another example of his peculiar and sometimes controversial sense of humor. Those who are not, should not miss this chance to make his acquaintance.

January 31st - Febuary 5th 2012

This is how humanity discovered Zabargad.

The Egyptian royalty in the capital city of Thebes fell quickly for the mysterious gem. In Naturalis Historia, Pliny tells of the first specimen presented to queen Berenice. (Theban queen of Lower Egypt, about 300 BCE.). She was not the only one. Historians even suspect that at least some of the “emeralds” worn by Cleopatra were actually Peridots. According to Agatharchides in his De Mare Erthraeo, Egyptian kings ordered the discoverers to collect gems and deliver them to the royal gem cutters for polishing. Apart from fashion, Peridot was considered a symbol of the sun. Soon enough the ancient Jews picked on this trend as well, named it “Pitdah” and used it in the fabled Breastplates of Aaron described in the Bible (Exodus 28, 15-30). The breastplate was a ceremonial religious garment set with twelve gemstones that represented the twelve tribes of Israel and corresponded with the twelve signs of the zodiac and the twelve months of the year. Aaron, Berenice and  Cleopatra are all but gone, but The largest cut Peridot, weighs 310 carats is still on display in the Smithsonian, was found on  Serpent Isle, later known as St. John Island.

During the Ottoman Empire (1300-1918) Turkish sultans amassed the world’s largest collection. They were competing with the Crusaders, returning home from their holy journeys with large Peridots as part of the loot. Fine gems from this era remain today in a number of European sanctuaries including the Treasury of the Three Magi in Cologne and the Vatican. The precious stones and jewelry collection in the Tower of London also contains large Peridot gems.

The source of the name Peridot is not very clear. It could be derived from the Greek “peridona”, meaning “giving plenty”, or from the Arabic word Faridat, although the current name in Arabic is Zabargad. To add up to confusion, the old Farsi name Zamroot means emerald which is Izmargad in ancient Hebrew. Later the stone was known as Topazion. Probably around the 18th century, the French were the first to call the yellowish-green stone Peridote, although the English have similar claim,
It was probably, regarding their history, more of a French name.

Peridot belongs to the forsterite-fayalite (most of the gem variety is predominantly foresterite, named after the German naturalist, John Forester.) mineral series which is part of the Olivine group. It is one of the “idiochromatic” gems, meaning the color created by the basic chemical composition of the mineral itself, not from minor impurities, and therefore will only be found in shades of green.
Its chemical formula is given by: (Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄.

Peridot is found in many corners of the world and beyond, that is from meteorites. In Russia, few cut Peridots were produced out of a meteorite which fell in 1749 in east Siberia. The most unusual olive green gem that comes from meteorites called Pallasites. Moldavite is found in the Czech Republic and believed to have arrived from space in a meteor about 14.8 million years ago. Because this stone contains crystals of Olivine and has a similar color it is often confused with Peridot. Some of these extraterrestrial gems are very beautiful though and have been faceted and set into jewelry.

Because Peridot was created during volcanic action, occasionally, those green crystals are found on the black sands of Hawaii.

The United States was for many years the largest producer of this green material, and the value of production in 1993 was estimated at $1.5 million.Peridot Mesa, located on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation east of Globe in Gila County, is the most productive locality for Peridot in the world. Gem-quality Peridot can be found in deposits at three different locations in New Mexico. The deposits are in the Buell Park area in McKinley County in the northwestern part of the state and in Kilbourne Hole and Potrillo Mar depression.

Very large, super fine-quality Peridot gems are produced from deposits in Mogok area in Burma. These deposits were well known for their 20- to 80-carat cut stones of superb color and clarity, but since the “socialist” government came to power, supply dwindled and Burmese Peridot became all but rare collectors’ item.

In the early 1990s, the rough mountainsides of Nanga Parbat, stretching far west of the Himalayas, start producing fine crystals in a deep and breathtakingly beautiful green. unique stones of over 100 carats were found. Soon enough these stones have been termed “Cashmere Peridot”.

Since the late 90’s and early 2000, the bread and butter Peridot is being mined,  cut and sold out of China. Although on the yellowish side and mostly in the 1 to 3 carats size range, with china’s untapped labor reserves and aggressive business tactics, Chinese Peridot has an excellent price point. It is clearly taking over the commercial slice in the global Peridot pie.

The ancient Romans were quite fond of the gemstone and coveted the brilliant green sparkle, which does not change either in artificial light. They already named the stone “Evening Emerald”. Today, the airy, slightly golden bright green of Peridot could not escape the attention of contemporary designers in the jewelry and fashion industries. Its fine pistachio green or olive green goes perfectly with many summer collections. No wonder that Peridot is assigned to the summer month of August.

If you are still in doubt you should consider the reputation Peridot has at the New Age circles: Peridot protects against nervousness; helps alleviate spiritual fear; aids in healing hurt feelings & bruised egos; incurs strength & physical vitality; aligns subtle bodies; amplifies other vibrational energies & positive emotional outlook; helps liver & adrenal function. If you are married do not forget that Peridot is the anniversary gemstone for the 16th year of marriage. And above all it is supposed to bring the wearer success, peace, good luck, and most importantly, helps his or her dreams to become true.

According to the " the Mineral Resources Of Burma" by N.M Penzer (1922) - "the tract was first examined by Warth In 1895. He estimates that the actual area over which the gems are found in the alluvial deposit was 10 square miles only. He stated that rubies, sapphires, and spinels are obtained from the detritus afforded by the disintegration of crystalline limestone surrounded by intrusive masses of granite. The most recent and the fullest description of this tract was given by Bleeck in 1908. He described the geological features of the country between Manwee (few miles NE) and Naniazeik as being of a simple nature, the mountain ranges between the two villages consisting only of granite and marble. At the foot of the hills the alluvial soil is consists of the detritus of both the granite and marble. This detritus is called "byon" wherever it is rich in rubies. Samples of the river gravel and the " byon" examined by Tanatar and Bleeck were taken from both the mountain stream near Manwee and at Naniazeik . The constitute minerals of gravel from the former locality proved to be quartz, feldspar, phlogopite, chlorite, garnet, spinel and corundum. Of the above, the most abundant are the spinels which occur in octahedral crystal crystals up to ½ " is diameter. The colors of the Spinel vary with the pellucidity from almost an opaque dark green to bright translucent red. The Corundum occurs in far smaller quantities. Bleek found three pieces one of which was nearly ¾" in diameter. The color of this stone was dull pink while the two smaller pieces displayed bright and dark red colors respectively. The byon at Naniazeik is a light color clay or send, consisting of the following minerals: quartz, orthoclase, pholgopite, chlorite, calcite, plagioclase, spinel and ruby.

Neither Spinel nor Ruby appears to be abundant, although Bleek states that the small chips of rubies are of most beautiful color, and are similar to those of  Mogok and Sagyin Hills. No corundum has been traced in the marble at Naniazeik and Manwee, although it is most probable that it is contained in the same. The limestone considered by the above authorities to have been originally calcareous sedimentary deposits, and to have been altered while in a state of intense local compression due to orographic movements, by contact with the intrusive granite. With the production of corundum and other accessory minerals at those places where the pressure was most sever." -

The operations in the area have started just a few months ago (early 2001) as no one was mining in Namya since the British occupation. It appears that there was no serious exploration before the actual mining took place. Methods and structures of the production areas show that the cautious investors are simply trying out their luck. We could not get any reliable numbers regarding the quantities being mined, but we could figure out that there are no commercial quantities yet. We did see however some of spinel being mined in the area. It is bright hot pink, and unlike the material from Mogok, it is quite consistent in its color. Namya material is fetching a very high price in Yangon these days, in our estimation at least three times as high as Mogok Material.

It looks like investors are trying to recuperate their initial capital as fast as they can. Due to the logistics of Namya, mining costs versus the quantities found are pushing prices even higher. True, Burma is one place where fortune telling is an every day practice but forecasting the future is a challenge. But in accordance to our experience in the past, market demand dictates the scope of mining operations. Spinel popularity is now at all-times high, and so it is safe to predict that Namya area, once is over the experimental gambling stage, will be an important source for high quality Spinels and Rubies.