Burrowing deep underground, thousands of informal miners risk their lives to find gleaming red gems as a law change spurs opportunity in Myanmar's "land of rubies", according to AFP.
Emperors, kings and warlords have long fought over the valley of Mogok in Mandalay region, where the unique "pigeon-blood" stones lie hidden.
The Mogok rubies are the most expensive in the world, with the highest-quality jewels fetching multi-million dollar prices in an industry notoriously bereft of regulation, according to AFP.
But a recent law change -- aimed at reining in big companies digging hundreds of metres deep -- means many licences have not been renewed, and the former diggings have been invaded by artisanal miners.
