Interesting Facts
The earliest record of Ruby mining is from Sri Lanka 2,500 year ago. Historically, many believed that mystical powers lie within this intensely colored red stone. When inserted beneath the skin, the ancient Burmese believe that the stone generates a mystical force, which protects the wearer from accidents and attack. In the ancient world, many believed Rubies to contain prophetic powers, enabling wearers to predict their future based on the color of Rubies considered them to be "Ratnaraj" or the "King of Precious Stone”. Its name is derived from the Latin word "Rubes". Many considered Burmese Rubies from the Mogok Valley to to be the world's finest.
Characterestics
Rubies and Sapphires are closely related, having corundum as their base mineral. The difference in color occurs because of the difference trace minerals contained with each gemstone. Thai Rubies tend to have a darker color and less intensity than Burmese Rubies, which are known for their high quality and high price range. African Rubies tend to have heavy inclusions, but beautiful stones with fine clarity can be found, usually in the high price range. With hardness just below that of diamonds, Rubies are one of the toughest gemstones, and with no cleavage, breakage rarely occurs. Microscopic inclusions, sometimes called "silk”, are a normal characteristic of Rubies. However, heating tends to dissolve these inclusions. The existence of inclusions provides trace to the Rubies' origin and can be used to separate natural from synthetic stones. | 
