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Mogoke
Location
 Mogok,
where most of priceless Gems are mined, lies in a beautiful
mountain valley, 128 miles to the north-east of Mandala y,
and 60 miles to the east of Ayeyarwady river. There is the
Great Lake of Mogok in the centre of the town, lying like a
pool in the garden.
The mountain ranges of Mogok are a part of the great Shan
plateau but the town itself is in Mandalay Division. The
residents are mostly Lisus and Shans who make their living
by mining and cutting, polishing and marketing gemstones.
For centuries, gems such as rubies and sapphires were found
at Mogok abundantly and very easily–so easy that they were
literally scopped up by hand from among tufts of grass-roots
in the hill-side kitchen garden. Gems so begotten are now
known as 'grass-root stones'. And the kind of loose upper
soil where they are easily found is named 'Manipur paydirt'
because in old days Manipur immigrants were those ordered by
the king to work the mines. In those days theprice of
ordinary rubies was, almost nothing. They were seen
everywhere, bought and sold everyday.Only extraordinary
ones, large, flawless and of pigeon-blood colour, were
considered as something worthy. Rich men, lords and ladies,
Sawbwas (chieftains) and kings used to collect only those
extraordinary gem-stones. And among gems, rubies rank No.1.
Mogok and its environs – Momeik, Twin, nge', Thabeikkyin and
Waphyudaung – together has a gem-bearing area of 1916 sq.
miles. There are now over 1000 mines, which are of two main
types –tunnel and open-cut. Small-scale traditional mines,
such as lay-bin-gyin (four-sided pits, three feet square)
are also worked in some places. Rubies and sapphires are
found in most of the mines and they bring the highest
prices. Mogok also produces numerous gems of lesser quality
such as – alexandrite, amethyst, apatite, aquamarine, black
tourmaline, black John, danburite, flourite, garnet, green
tourmaline, lapis lazuli, moonstone, peridot, quartz, rose
quartz, spinel, topa z, white sapphire, zircon.
 Mogok
then and now, is a city of gems, the heart of the gem-zone
and the centre of the gem trade. Some years in the past,
private mines were all closed and even Myanmar nationals on
visit to Mogok hadn't the cha nce to see how the famous
mines worked.
If you really are interested in gems, Mogok in Myanmar is a
must in your tour program, among other gem sites of the
world.You should have enough time (at least 3 days) for the
round trip from Mandalay to Mogok because it is a 128 mile
motor-road (about 7 hour drive) and you have so many things
to see and study about gem-mining, not to mention those
lovely Lisu and Shan villages which adorn the misty valleys.
After you have passed Letpanhla, the halfway stop for lunch,
you are among the famous gem-producing hills, and the
rock-formations will mesmerise you if you are a geologist.
At Mogok you'll be very busy the whole day. First, make a
pilgrimage to Chanthagyi Pagoda – the name implies you'll be
immensely rich soon! Then to Mogok gem-market, where you
just watch others buy and sell and get thrilled. At
Shwepyiaye ruby mine, see the collection of gem gravels
which are then washed and scrutinised the work of mining
from start to finish. You'll have to go to the lapidary
works to study how the stones are cut and polished, ready
for making jewellry. In the evening, climb up Kyeenitaung to
take a sunset view of Mogok and to gaze wistfully towards
those lovely Lisu villages.At Kyatpyin, 7 miles from Mogok
on your return journey, you have the opportunity to see all
kinds of gem-sites, large and small, worked in different
method.
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