Buddhist Temple Looking West to Burma Ruby & Diamond Necklace

I Watched from My High Perch

as 3 Raptors Flew Over the Farmland

I’ve stood on the Thai Burma border twice. Burma was forbidden then, its even more forbidden now. My second time I was in a high Buddhist temple, with what felt like 1,000 stairs to the top. Everything was painted in bright orange-yellow-gold and strong primary colors. Thailand was alive, houses close together, people shoulder to shoulder, everything felt tight.

At the top of the temple looking west was an ancient Burmese landscape – a broad valley, fine thin smoke, vast open farmlands to the west as far as the haze would allow me to see. At the base of the mountain there were farmers on fields behind oxen or yak pulling a plow. Everything was broad open and ancient looking, like it was 100 years ago. I watched from my high perch as 3 raptors flew over the farmland, gliding slowly on updrafts.

The ruby mines of Burma were nowhere near. They were hundreds of miles away to the west and yet, remarkably, at the edge of the two countries it felt and looked different. Ruby, fine ruby, fine Burma ruby is rare, can be priced in excess of diamonds. The world, particularly the gem world, holds Burma ruby in the highest esteem for its purity of red. At the top of this temple I didn’t want to leave, I could see how someone could become a Buddhist monk and be quite content to occupy this temple in the sky.

Our ruby is a Burmese gem, a solid ½ carat at .58, surrounded by a halo of 14 diamonds. At its top is an articulated bail with 2 more diamonds. All set in 14K yellow gold, 17” 14K yellow gold chain.