Updated October, 1997  The world's best Burma ruby originates in
the lawless region where Laos, Burma, Thailand and China meet.
This area has become known and widely romanticized as "The
Golden Triangle". The location is off the beaten track. A large
amount of wealth in rubies, jade, silver, lumber and above all,
opium, begins its journey in this "Golden Triangle". It is the
home of drug warlords, arms dealers, insurgent armies, latter-
day slave traders and plain, old-fashioned bandits.  Without a
doubt, the best and most sought after ruby in the world by
collectors is mined in Mogok, Burma (now Myanmar). The reason
these gems are coveted is that they glow and tend to look good
in all lighting conditions. This glow is the direct result of
fluorescence. When fluorescent gems are struck with ultraviolet
light, the gem adds an extra punch. Burma stones tend to be
light and bright compared to ruby from other sources.  Although
there are thousands of different shades of red, for the sake of
argument, let's categor