YANGON, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- A mid-year gems emporium opened at two separate venues in the biggest city of Yangon Wednesday to encourage national gem traders to sell more quality gems, jade, pearl and jewelry.

    The 16th Mid-Year Gems Emporium is held at the Myanma Gems Emporium Hall and the Convention Center on the basis of tender and competitive bidding for 13 days until Nov. 26.

Pearl lots that are to be auctioned are displayed at the Mid-Year Emporium in Yangon Nov. 13, 2007. Over 4,000 gem merchants are expected to participate in the sale which will be held in Yangon from Nov. 14 to 26.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

    Almost all products, displayed in the emporium, belong to private enterprises and the products worth about 230 million U.S. dollars at floor prices, officials of the sponsoring committee said.

    Over 2,000 foreign merchants coming from over 20 countries and regions including China, China's Hong Kong, Thailand and Canada are expected to join the event which displays 5,140 jade lots, 274gem lots and 259 pearl lots.

    At the emporium, a jade block weighing 171 kilos valued at the highest floor price of 80 million euros (100 million U.S. dollars) throughout such emporiums ever since and another one weighing 83 kilos and valued at 50 million euros (62.5 million dollars) are also demonstrated for bidding.

    In the 44th annual Myanmar gems emporium held in March this year and attended by 3,421 merchants including over 2,000 foreign ones, 3,652 lots of jade, gems and pearl were sold out, gaining 148 million euros (185 million U.S. dollars), according to earlier official statistics.

    Again in July this year, a special gem, jade and pearl sale, which attracted even more merchants, about 4,000 including 2,437 foreigners, sold out more of the items reaching 4,665 lots but the proceeds were not disclosed.