The ruby is a red stone which is a variety of corundum, one of the hardest minerals in the world. Rubies have a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, and come second only to the diamond.
The corundum mineral comes in every color of the rainbow, but only red corundum is called ruby; blue corundum is called sapphire, while corundum in other colors is called sapphire along with the gemstone’s color, for example “a yellow sapphire.”
Burma produces nearly 90% of the rubies manufactured worldwide. Burmese rubies have become a brand, and Burmese sourced rubies symbolize quality. The main ruby deposits in Burma are situated in the “Golden Triangle” in the country’s northeast sector.
Ruby deposits can also be found in Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, northern Pakistan, Kashmir, Tagekistan, Nepal and Afghanistan. During the 1960’s rubies were also found in Africa and in recent years rubies have also been discovered in Canada. Locating rubies is sometimes considered problematic because these stones are usually to be found in areas that are rich in uranium.
