Ruby is durable enough but inferior to the Diamond. These precious stones are quite rare if we talk about the genuine Oriental specimens. Nonetheless, the stores are full of the artificial Rubies that made of the mono crystals of Corundum.
History
Pegu was a real motherland of Rubies, according to the old sources. It was the ancient kingdom that currently locates at the territory of modern Myanmar (formerly Burma). Now Pegu is known as Bago, the fourth city of Myanmar in population. Pople found the first specimens of Ruby in Syrian, the town that was the ancient capital of Pegu. That's why the merchants called this stone of Syrian origin. Later, the deposits of Ruby were discovered in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). In those days, the ruler of Siam (Thailand), Ava (Burma) and Pegu called the "King of Indian Peninsula." All the finest specimens of Ruby were in his possession. His treasures contained the immense amount of the Rubies, Gold, and other precious stones and metals. The central market of Ruby trades located close to Mandalay. It was the place from whence these gems supplied to other countries.
The mines were under serious protection by the guardians. As a result, no one was able to get here without a permit. The discovery of big crystal was an event. The locals honored the stones as divinity. A ceremony consisting of guardians and elephants moved forward towards the palace of the King, to celebrate the birth of the new "red star." Therefore, the King of Burma bore the name "The Lord of Rubies."
However, Chinese also knew Rubies since the ancient times. But they didn't use the gems under their direct purpose. Chinese women used to adorn the slippers with this precious stone, according to the sources. The first European scientist who managed to classify all the Corundum specimens and separate its varieties was Count Bournon. Prior him, the ancient considered all red stones as Ruby. Therefore, some ancient authors who mentioned Ruby in their treatises could, in fact, mean other gems.
Value
The price of Ruby depends on its weight in karats. Of course, everybody knows that the size does matter. However, when we're talking about this precious stone, this quality is significant. Usually, the crystals of natural Ruby are found in nature of a small size. That's why any Ruby whose weight exceeds four karats is very expensive. So, for instance, the natural Ruby of this weight must cost more than any Diamond due to the rarity of the first one.
Deposits
Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka are the current sources of Rubies. These specimens are the most costly. But there also exist the mines in Kenya, Tanzania, and even Tajikistan.
Uses
The markets are full of the artificial Rubies made for the scientific purposes. One of such specimens was applied to the first laser invented by Theodore Harold Maiman. In the United States, Ruby deposits are in Wyoming, South & North Carolina and Montana. However, these mines produce a few amount of this precious stone.
Fakes
Each of you must know about the fake Rubies. Many jeweler stores use the inferior stones passing them as of Rubies. They usually sell Spinel or Garnet. But also worth noting that the so-called artificial rubies are the same as the natural ones. It is good news, as chemically these stones are identical. The difference is only in their origin.
Ruby is also the birthstone for June.