![Red rubies symbolize love, passion and devotion between lovers.](https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/360x267p/photos.demandstudios.com/46/225/fotolia_3020529_XS.jpg)
Rubies are mined around the world, in Afghanistan, Burma, Pakistan, Vietnam, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Russia and the U.S. Rubies from Burma, now known as Myanmar, are considered to be the finest rubies of all.
Burmese Rubies
![Photo Credit: temple, myanmar image by J-F Perigois from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a> The world's best rubies come from Myanmar, previously known as Burma.](https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/600x600p/photos.demandstudios.com/155/47/fotolia_1000121_XS.jpg)
Ninety-five percent of the rubies sold in the world's jewellers and markets are believed to come from Burma, the southeast Asian country now known as Myanmar. Due to the military junta currently in charge there, this is now a controversial source for rubies.
Rubies From Around the World
![Photo Credit: ring with ruby image by Alexander Potapov from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a> Rubies are formed of the mineral corundum.](https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/600x600p/photos.demandstudios.com/162/16/fotolia_3128138_XS.jpg)
Rubies are formed from the mineral corundum, as are sapphires. Both stones acquire their color from additional impurities. Rubies can be of differing shades of red, depending on how much chromium and iron there is within them. Rubies found in mines in Australia, India, Russia and the U.S. tend to be of a darker red than the bright red rubies produced in Myanmar.
Rubies in the U.S.
![Photo Credit: ear-rings with garnet image by Julija Sapic from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a> Fine garnets mined in the U.S. are known as American rubies.](https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/600x600p/photos.demandstudios.com/49/217/fotolia_2389144_XS.jpg)
The term "American ruby" actually refers to garnets, many of them very fine, which are found in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. Real rubies are also found in the United States, specifically in North Carolina, Georgia and Wyoming.
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About the Author
Maggie Craig is a Scottish writer who published her first book 13 years ago. She now has seven novels and two works of full-length non-fiction to her name, as well as hundreds of articles, which have appeared in Scottish newspapers and magazines and on the Internet.
Photo Credits
ruby necklace image by OMKAR A.V from Fotolia.com