are sorted and the refuse thrown away. The concentrate is then sorted for different precious stones.
(iii) Loodwins or Loos.—These
are cavernous holes in the limestone and may run tortuously for long
distances even 160-200 ft. in depth. There are pockets of byon in the crevices and at times even very rich pockets, but all the byon has to be carried up which is a laborious process. It is a dangerous form of working and is now becoming unpopular.
Te-ban-gwet.—When the byon is
collected, it is taken to a convenient place where water is available.
A shallow basin is constructed with stones. Ye-ban-gwet is cemented
with clay and is slightly sloping towards the tailing channel. The byon is placed in the basin and water sprayed on it as in a Hmyawdwin. The byon is well crushed by trampling over it or with mammootties. A small obstruction lower than the sides of the Ye-ban-gwet is
placed across the channel. The clay and light sands pass over it in the
surplus water, and the heavier concentrates are held back. Pits are
kept in the channel also. Both rubies and sapphires are obtained from
the same mines. In Ceylon the mining is done more for sapphire than for
other stones, as it is the most important gem-stone produced. It is
produced by alluvial washing, or deep mining by sinking wells into the
gem gravel or Ittam. 'The best stones from all these areas find their way to Europe and America.
Marketing
In
Burma the licensee or his wife is always nearby when the working is in
progress. The licensee grades the day's find and if it happens to be
good, a number of brokers are always ready to examine them and advise
them. The stones are sorted according to size, quality and quantity and
then counted and weighed. They are then taken to the stone bazaar at
Kyatpyin or Mogok, or disposed
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