Mogok the valley of gemstones

On amazing journeys through Burma, scientists and gem trading experts reveal the mysteries of the world’s most beautiful gemstones.

In his book La Vallée des rubis (Valley of the Rubies), Joseph Kessel described a city “even more secret than Mecca, harder to reach than Lhasa”. Half a century later, Mogok is as enchanting as ever, and getting there from Mandalay is a trip still fraught with uncertainty.

A Franco-Swiss team of gemmologists, guided by Kennedy Ho, one of Asia’s most influential gemstone experts, and accompanied by photo-reporter Jean-Baptiste Rabouan, leads us through this valley of wonders. They explain the history, culture and geology of the mountains of Myanmar, whose underlying rocks conceal a globally unique array of precious stones, and provide key insights into their fabulous métier, whose core tasks including quality assessment and valuation of rubies, sapphires, spinels, peridots and