YANGON, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Newly-built Myanmar's largest gems museum in the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw has opened to the public after seven month's construction, the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Friday.

    The new gem museum, standing the second of its kind next to Yangon's, was inaugurated on Thursday for a week-long public visit until next Wednesday.

    With an area of 12.5 acres (5.06 hectares), the three-storey museum, decorated with jade, displays Myanmar's world famous gems, jade, pearl and jewelry.

    Among them are a 6.2 centimeter-long and 3 centimeter-high world's largest natural pearl weighing 45.06 mommes (845 carats or929.5 rati) decorated with three female celestial beings, a valuable Myanmar cultured pearl weighing 9.8 mommes (104.39 carats), a valuable Myanmar jade stone weighing 69 kilograms, Myanmar orchestra and ornaments made of jade, the largest Myanmar ruby weighing 21,450 carats and other ornaments made of ruby, the report said.

    Besides, Myamnar gold and silver wares, jewelry and uncut Mogokgemstones and granite stones are also on display, the report added.

    In Yangon, there is a gem mart, attached with the first gem museum, as well as a convention center where Myanmar holds its gemsale all year round on different occasions. The gem mart displays a variety of the quality items for sale on the basis of competitive bidding and tender systems.

    Myanmar started to hold gem shows annually in 1964, introducing the mid-year one in 1992 and the special one in 2004.

    The gem traders mostly came from China, China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and Thailand.

    There are six mining areas in Myanmar under gem and jade exploration, namely, Mogok, Mongshu, Lonkin/Phakant, Khamhti, Moenyin and Namyar.

    Myanmar, a well-known producer of gems in the world, boasts ruby, diamond, cat's eye, emerald, topaz, pearl, sapphire, coral and a variety of garnet tinged with yellow.

    The authorities designated the proceeds from the sale of gems at these emporiums as legal export earning to encourage the private sector in the development of the gem industry.

    Of Myanmar's 6.043 billion U.S. dollars' exports in 2007-08, gem products stood the third after natural gas and agricultural produces with 647.53 million dollars, according to official statistics.

    The government's Central Statistical Organization also revealed that in the fiscal year 2007-08, Myanmar produced 20,235 tons of jade and 22.668 million carats of gems which include ruby, sapphire, spinel and peridot, as well as 225,611 mommes (846 kilograms) of pearl.