Myanmar announced on Wednesday it would hold an October auction of Jade, pearls and precious gems in Yangon, despite economic sanctions banning their international trade.

At a previous sale in March, 7,700 lots were sold, valued at more than 100 million euros (153 million dollars).

The United States blocked imports of Myanmar’s gems in July, passing new legislation to prevent the gems entering US markets.

Posted: 08|27|08 at 8:52 am. Filed under: Asia.