Burma Gem Sales and Statistics

* = Updated 7/16/15

Burma gem sales figures aren’t always easy to come by, so we’ve compiled some, from the following sources: AP = Associated Press; AFP = Agence France-Presse; BP = Bangkok Post; CMA = China Mining Assoc.; DVB = Democratic Voice of Burma; EMG = Eleven Media Group; IPG = Irrawaddy; KNG = Kachin News Group; MN = Mizzima News; MT = Myanmar Times; NLM = New Light of Myanmar; PD = People’s Daily, China; YCD = Yangon City Development; XNA = Xinhua News Agency.

Annual (Spring) and Mid-Year (Fall) Myanma Gems Emporium

• * Jun–Jul 2015 (52nd): $1.262 billion (XNA)
• Jun–Jul 2014 (51st): $3.4 billion (XNA, IPG)
• June 2013 (50th): $2.4 billion (XNA)
• Mar 2012 (49th): $702.66 million (XNA)
• Dec 2011–Jan 2012 (20th): $903 million, or €700 million (MT)
• Mar 2011 (48th): $2.8 billion, or €2 billion (MT)
• Nov 2010 (19th): Postponed from early Oct (MT, XNA, and EMG); $1.44 billion, or €1.08 billion (Reuters)
• March 2010 (47th): $496 million, or €400 million (XNA)
• Oct–Nov 2009 (18th): $120.5 million, or €96.46 million (XNA)
• March 2009 (46th): $191 million (from jade only?) (AP)
• October 2008 (17th): $175 million, or €130 million (AP)
• March 2008 (45th): $153 million (MT and AFP)
• November 2007 (16th): $185 million (MT); revised from $150 million (MT)
• March 2007 (44th): “biggest ever,” $185 million (AFP and XNA)
• October 2006 (15th): estimated at more than $125 million (MT)
• March 2006 (43rd): about $101 million (PD)
• October 2005 (14th): almost 70% of $48 million worth on offer (AFP)
• March 2005 (42nd): unknown sales of $29 million worth on offer (PD)
• October 2004 (13th): nearly $35 million (MT)
• March 2004 (41st): nearly $23 million (€18.5 million) (NLM)
• October 2003 (12th): over $17.9 million (€15.2 million) (NLM)
• March 2003 (40th): over $23 million (Pala)
• October 2002 (11th): topped $30 million (MT)
• March 2002 (39th): about $20 million (MT)
• October 2001 (10th): about $9.5 million (Pala)
• March 2001 (38th): about $10 million (NLM)
• October 2000 (9th): over $16.5 million, double the previous year (IPG)
• March 2000 (37th): about $25 million, breaking the 1990 record (XNA)
• March 1990 (27th): about $14.8 million, a record until 2000 (XNA)
• Total sales: (includes Other Sales below)
  • 1964–2003 – $400 million (MT)
  • 1964–April 2006 (pre-summer sales) – over $500 million (IPG)
  • 1964–October 2006 (before Oct. mid-year sale) – over $600 million (PD)
  • * 1964–July 2015 – over $18.190 billion (Pala estimate based on statistics above and below)

Other Sales

• Unnumbered Sale (July 1–13, 2011): $1.57 billion or €1.1 billion (Reuters; possibly mis-labelled the 49th Myanma Gems Emporium by MT; identified as Jade, Gems and Pearl Special Sales 2011 later)
• 29th Gems & Jade Sales 2010 (UMEHL, Aug 20–24, 2010): No figures available (UMEHL)
• Special Sale (Jun 25–Jul 7, 2010): $885.5 million or €700 million (XNA)
• 28th Gems & Jade Sales 2010 (UMEHL, Jan 11–15, 2010): No figures available
• Biannual Pearl Auction (September 23–25, 2009): Was to be held in Burma’s largest gem museum (XNA)
• Special Sale (June 22–July 4, 2009): $292 million (from jade only?), topping the (March) 2009 annual emporium (AP)
• 26th Gems & Jade Sales 2009 (UMEHL, Jan 5–9, 2009): No figures available (YCD)
• 25th Gems & Jade Sales 2008 (UMEHL, Aug 19–23, 2008): No figures available
• Special Sale (June 24–July 4, 2008): over $120 million (MN; AFP)
• 24th Gems & Jade Sales 2008 (UMEHL, Jan 15–19, 2008): 357 jade lots (out of 1,214 offered) and 247 gem lots (out of 397) were sold, but no monetary figures (NLM)
• Special Sale (UMEHL, December 2007): No figures available
• 23rd Gems & Jade Sales 2007 (UMEHL, Aug 21–28, 2007): 404 jade lots (of 1,121 offered) were sold; 315 gem lots were offered; no monetary figures (NLM)
• Special Sale of Gems, Jade and Pearls (July 4–16, 2007): estimated at over $185 million based on its being the “biggest ever gem auction” (AFP and MT)
• 22nd Gems & Jade Sales 2007 (UMEHL, Jan 30–Feb 3, 2007): 335 jade lots (out of 943 offered), 204 gem lots (out of 308) were sold, but no monetary figures (NLM)
• 21st Gems & Jade Sales 2006 (UMEHL, Aug 28–Sep 1, 2006): 321 jade lots (out of 1,029 offered) and 224 gem lots (out of 312) sold, but no monetary figures (NLM)
• Myanmar Jade, Gems & Pearls (Jun–Jul 2006): estimated at $125 million, topping the (March) 2006 annual emporium (MT)
• 20th Gems & Jade Sales 2006 (UMEHL, Jan 16–19, 2006): unknown jade lots (out of 986 offered) and unknown gem lots (out of 286) sold; no monetary figures (NLM)
• 19th Gems & Jade Sales 2005 (UMEHL, Aug 9–13, 2005): 412 jade lots (out of 747 offered) and 309 gem lots (out of 406) sold; no monetary figures (NLM)
• 18th Gems & Jade Sales 2005 (UMEHL, Jan 24–27, 2005): 199 jade lots (out of 308 offered) and 246 gem lots (out of 317) sold; no monetary figures (NLM)

Trade Figures

• Jade exports
  • Fiscal Year 2013–2014 – $1.1 billion (EMG)
  • FY 2012–13 – $297.9 million (EMG)
  • FY 2011–12 – $34.2 million (EMG)
  • 2011 – $8 billion in legal and illegal sales (IPG by way of Harvard's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation)
• Gems and jewelry exports, fiscal year 4/07–3/08 – $647 million (MT)
  • Third place, behind oil and natural gas ($6.043 billion) and agricultural products ($1.140 billion), and ahead of timber ($578 million)
• Jade and gem exports (including pearls?), 2007 – $562 million (YCD; BP)
  • Jade exports from Hpakant, 2007 – $400 million (KNG)
• Myanma Gems Enterprise exports, fiscal year 4/06–3/07 – $296.9 million (PD; MT)
  • Third place, behind oil and natural gas ($2.16 billion) and timber ($519 million)
• Jade (and gem?) sales/exports, fiscal year 4/05–3/06 – $205.47 million (XNA; MT)
  • Fourth largest foreign exchange earning export sector
• From May 2004 MT special coverage
  • Precious stone exports: about $60 million from Burma
  • Private gem trading companies: about 1,000 in Burma
  • Tons of jade produced: for fiscal year 4/02–3/03, 10,000—a nearly tenfold increase over FY 1995–96
  • Buyers: Thailand buys 90% of Burmese rubies

Gem and Jade Production Figures 1988–2012

Sources: Production figures are updated on a monthly basis at the Central Statistical Organization, of the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development. The CSO data include gemstones broken down by these types: ruby, sapphire, spinel, and peridot.
Other Sources: NLM (1988 data), p. 4 of a PDF, poss. slow download.

• Gem blocks
  • 1988 – 8 (NLM)
  • 2005 – 635
  • 2006 – XNA mentions 116 blocks for engagement by “domestic entrepreneurs”; CMA breaks this down as:
    • 77 – Shan state
    • 39 – Mandalay division
  • 2006 & 2007 – XNA mentions over 500 gems and jade mining blocks granted, without differentiating how many are gems
  • 2008 & 2009 – XNA mentions 5 gems and jade blocks granted in the following, without differentiating which are gems
    • Shan state’s Mongshu and Namhyar (likely gems)
    • Kachin state’s Moeyin (likely jade)
    • Sagaing division’s Mawhan Mawlu
    • Mandalay division’s Mogok (likely gems)
  • 2009 –
    • MN (1/14/09) mentions 6 new blocks (Mongshu and Namhyar, Shan state; Moenyin, Kachin state; Mawhan, Mawhu, and Hkamti in Sagaing division)
    • CMA (1/12/09) mentions 4 new blocks, likely the same as above (Mongshu and Namhyar, Shan state; Moenyin, Kachin state; Mawhan Mawhu [sic], Sagaing division)
• Gem production (in carats)
  • 1988 – 126,000 (NLM)
  • 2013–14 – 16.31 million (XNA; IPG)

• Jade blocks
  • 1988 – 3 (NLM)
  • 2005 – 1,202
  • 2006 – CMA mentions 99 near Lonkin, Kachin state
  • 2006 & 2007 – XNA mentions over 500 gems and jade mining blocks granted, without differentiating how many are jade
  • 2007 – XNA mentions 319 blocks for engagement by “domestic entrepreneurs”; CMA breaks this down as:
    • 139 – Moenyin, Kachin state
    • 180 – Khamhti, Sagaing division
  • 2008 – KNG mentions 400 new blocks in Hpakant, Lonkin (Lawng Hkang), and Taw Maw
  • 2008 & 2009 – XNA mentions 5 gems and jade blocks granted in the following, without differentiating which are jade
    • Shan state’s Mongshu and Namhyar (likely gems)
    • Kachin state’s Moeyin (likely jade)
    • Sagaing division’s Mawhan Mawlu
    • Mandalay division’s Mogok (likely gems)
• Jade production (kilograms)
  • 1988 – 130,000 (NLM)
  • FY 1995–96 throgh 2002–03 – 58,881,290 (calcuclated using EMG data)
  • FY 2003–04 – 10,754,813
  • FY 2004–05 – 14,987,842
  • FY 2005–06 – 20,390,270
  • FY 2006–07 – 20,458,279
  • FY 2007–08 – 20,235,030
  • FY 2008–09 – 32,921,542
  • FY 2009–10 – 25,795,415
  • FY 2010–11 – 46,810,120
  • FY 2011–12 – 43,185,339
  • FY 2012–13 – unknown
  • FY 2013–14 – 13,663,109 (XNA)
  • * FY 2014–15 – 11,974,839 (DVB)
  • Total Production between FY 1995–96 and 2013–14 – 308,213,049

• Gem/mining joint-venture/profit-sharing with private companies: 10 (PD)

Pearl Production Figures 1988–2012

Sources: Production figures are updated on a monthly basis at the Central Statistical Organization, Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development.
Other Sources: NLM, p. 4 of a PDF, poss. slow download; XNA; MT

• Camps
  • 1988 – 2
  • 2005 – 9
• Production area (sq. km.): 2007 – 25,600
• Production (pieces)
  • 2002–03: 117,852
  • 2006–07: 400,000+
• Production (mommes)
  • 1988 – 8,488
  • FY 2003–04 – 72,575.13
  • FY 2004–05 – 124,207.09
  • FY 2005–06 – 177,692.28
  • FY 2006–07 – 240,595.97
  • FY 2007–08 – 225,611.40
  • FY 2008–09 – 201,081.69
  • FY 2009–10 – 229,951.19
  • FY 2010–11 – 275,688.04
  • FY 2011–12 – 290,984.70
  • FY 2012–13 – unknown
  • FY 2013–14 – 351,641 (XNA)
• Producers: Dec. 2007 – 3 foreign, 2 local; down from 6 total in Oct. 2007; also 3 farms run by official Myanmar Pearl Enterprise (MT, Mar. 2008)
• Year production began: 1956
• Investment of Burma–Japan partnership in production: 2007 – $8.47 million

Mining Statistics

Source: XNA dated 6/17/07

• Percent of mining sector to national economy (includes gold, copper, etc.) – 0.4 percent

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