Edward Boehm, VP of International Colored Gemstones Against The Burmese Ruby Boycott
In this, the second of three posts on the subject of Burmese rubies, I publish a letter to the New York Times on The Burma Ruby Trade by Edward Boehm, Vice President of the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA), http://www.gemstone.org/ Boehm explains why a blanket boycott of Burmese rubies is the wrong move. Special thanks to Mr. Boehm for permission to print this letter.
A Letter On The Burma Ruby Trade by Edward Boehm, Vice President of ICA
As a Vice President of ICA and having personally been to Burma numerous times since my first trip there in 1993, I would like to summarize my position regarding the current situation in Burma. I use the name “Burma” rather than “Myanmar” because the military government imposed this name in 1989. The UN recognizes Myanmar but the US and UK do not.
Regarding the Gem Emporium Auctions that take place in Rangoon: It is difficult to obtain accurate information about the auctions but there is a list of stated sales on the http://www.palagems.com/ website. The sales figures may be more correctly stated as follows: Most of the income generated at the government run auctions is derived from Jade, of which most is purchased by Asian dealers. Jade is mined in Hpakant in the Kachin State in northwestern Burma and heavy machinery is required to extract the large jade boulders. Thus, this area has been easier for the government to control. Ruby sales at the auctions have steadily declined in quantity and quality over the past ten years and those few lots that are available are of such poor quality that many do not sell. This is largely due to declining production and refusal of the independent miners to participate in the government auctions since they manage to sell their products directly to buyers in Thailand and India.
The two main ruby mining areas are spelled “Mogok” which is a town in a large mining region approximately 100 km north of Mandalay in the northern Shan State and “Mong Hsu” (pronounced Mong Shu) which is a smaller mining area located in the eastern Shan State in the village of Sai Leng near Taungyi. There are several hundred thousand inhabitants in the mining region of Mogok which has produced rubies, sapphires, and other gems for centuries. These families rely almost entirely on the income they derive from mining for gems. Rubies were initially discovered in Mong Hsu in 1991 and there are reportedly over 100,000 people living in and around the mining area. Most of the rough from Mong Hsu requires heat treatment to remove a dark blue core and improve transparency. The technology for this treatment is almost entirely in the hands of Thai cutters who purchase a majority of the Mong Hsu production directly from miners who smuggle it across the border. Unlike jade boulders, ruby rough is small and easy to hide and transport across the border. Despite imposing harsh laws, the government has been unsuccessful in its attempts to stop the smuggling of ruby and other gem materials.
As you can see, the lives of hundreds of thousands of Burmese would be dramatically impacted by a boycott on all gem materials. Many of these independent artisanal miners and gem dealers directly or indirectly support democratic reforms. They are also often the ones who provide food and financial support the monks and students who have been leading the protests. Therefore, the collateral damage of an all encompassing ban could negatively effect the very people we are trying to protect. ICA feels that a boycott of the government controlled auctions would directly impact the government’s access to foreign currency, thereby hindering their ability to buy weapons used to subjugate the population and suppress democratic reform.
We are happy to provide you with as much information as possible and we only ask you to be fair and balanced in your reporting.
Best regards,
Edward Boehm
ICA Vice President
