UK jewellery retailer TJC withdraws Myanmar rubies from sales

By Admin 09 Jun 2023

DMG Newsroom
9 June 2023, Sittwe

TJC, one of the biggest TV shopping channels and online jewellery retailers in the UK, has decided to withdraw Burmese rubies from its sale, Burma Campaign UK said in a statement on June 7.

TJC’s move comes after Burma Campaign UK wrote to 40 of the largest jewellery retailers in the UK late last month asking them to demonstrate that the gems they sell are not sourced from Myanmar in ways that help fund the Myanmar military.

Through its own private companies, control of the state-owned enterprises and government ministries, control of trade routes into areas not under its control, legal and illegal trade, and the business interests of military family members, the Burmese military extracts revenue from the gems industry in numerous ways, Burma Campaign UK’s statement said.

“It is impressive that TJC had proactively decided not to source gems from Burma following the coup,” said Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK. “TJC deserves praise for taking an ethical stance on this issue. We hope that other British jewellery retailers will do the same.”

The TJC stated in a letter to Burma Campaign UK that: “First and foremost, I want to assure you that we share your concerns and ethical values regarding the situation in Myanmar. Following the military coup in 2021, we made a conscientious decision to withdraw all Burmese jewellery items from our inventory, as we understood the gravity of the situation and the importance of taking a stand against human rights violations.”

The Burmese rubies TJC had been selling on its website were listed in error, Burma Campaign UK said.

The liquid jade line is scarce in the Mandalay market where Burmese gems are sold, and only uncut jade are being traded, according to jade merchants.

Jade merchants say that the TJC has suspended the sale of Burmese gems, but the jewellery market has not been affected due to the high volume of purchases from China in the Myanmar gemstone market.

“Sometimes, jade products are purchased from Thailand. About 90 percent of jade is bought by China. Chinese merchants buy uncut jade in Mandalay and sell them in China. Myanmar’s jade market will not be affected if China does not bar Myanmar jade imports,” said Ko Yan Naing Lin, a jade merchant in Mandalay.

Following the military coup in February 2021, the Burmese military now dominates Myanmar’s gems industry, which is said to be worth potentially $2 billion per year.