Corundum var. Ruby with Calcite

specimen number:
9506146

location:
Mogok, Mandalay, Myanmar

description:

A cluster of platy brilliant purplish red translucent ruby crystals measuring 2.9 cm across coming off of a white calcite matrix. In super condition. Unique and highly attractive. Brilliantly fluorescent red under longwave ultraviolet light. Crystallized completely all around.

Mogok, Myanmar is a legendary gem-bearing region whose recorded mining history spans at least one thousand years, originating prior to the 6th century AD and developing under successive Burmese royal monopolies until British annexation in 1885. Commercial and industrial operations followed through the Burma Ruby Mines Company from 1889 until its closure in 1931, after which the area transitioned to state-controlled and artisanal mining that continues today. Geologically, the region is situated within the Mogok Metamorphic Belt, formed through complex tectonic collisions between the Gondwana fragment, the Burma Block, and the Indian block. The local geology is characterized by high-grade metamorphic rocks, primarily calc-silicate gneisses and thick belts of crystalline marbles derived from ancient sedimentary rocks. These marbles were intruded by younger granites, syenites, and pegmatites, creating the unique thermal, chemical, and metasomatic environment responsible for generating world-famous gemstones such as rubies, spinels, and sapphires.

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