Brazil is the largest country in South America, with a rich culture, jungles and rainforests, and the world’s greatest variety of animals. This captivating country is known for producing high-quality gemstones and is home to a wide variety of these treasures from deep within. Dive into the marvellous rainforests and discover the mysterious country of Brazil.
Tourmalines, topaz, opals, quartz varieties, and emeralds are among the most important gemstones found in Brazil. The Paraiba tourmaline, named after the location where it was discovered, and the Imperial topaz, which is now mined only in Brazil, are two of the rarest stones discovered in the country. Some of the world’s finest aquamarines can be found in the mines of Minas Gerais, where the world’s largest cut aquamarine, Dom Pedro, was discovered.
Minas Gerais’ history has always been linked to the region’s abundance of mineral resources. The discovery of gold in the mountains of Minas Gerais triggered the world’s longest gold rush period in the 1690s, and made the region Brazil’s gold mining centre. The mines of this region contain some of the most spectacular gemstones, including emerald, aquamarine, rubellite, imperial topaz, alexandrite, and amazonite.
About the RubyThe highest quality sapphires from the mines of Mogok are usually described by the Gübelin Gem Lab as "royal blue", a term used for extraordinary stones that are of a luscious, deep blue colour and fit strictly defined criteria concerning clarity, hue and saturation. Compared to rubies, Burmese sapphires also have a tendency to occur in larger sizes, which makes them highly sought after.
Geologically, Burmese sapphires and, indeed, rubies are considered to be much younger than many of their counterparts from locations like Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and Sri Lanka. In the mines of Mogok, sapphires are unearthed in various shades of blue but purple, violet and yellow stones can also be found.
Experience the unique colour and extraordinary gleam of the legendary Burmese ruby in some of Gübelin's most precious jewellery creations
About the SapphireThe Mogok region in the centre of the country is by no means the only one where rubies and sapphires have been found in Burma. However, it has proven the only one whose yield was large enough to make it commercially viable. Besides rubies and sapphires, other gemstones like spinels, garnets, tourmalines, peridots and aquamarines are found and successfully unearthed. After mining, these treasures are collected, sorted and sold in several larger and smaller gem markets in the city of Mogok and smaller villages in the vicinity from where many make their way down to the large scale auctions in the southern city of Yangon. Afterwards, they continue their journey to become part of breath-taking jewellery that will, hopefully, delight their future owners for many decades to come.
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