Ruby FactsIn the U.S. rubies are mined in North Carolina and near Helena, Montana. Ruby color varies in different specimens from rose red through so-called ruby red and carmine to a deep purplish red, called "pigeon blood." Clear stones of the deeper shades are the most highly prized. Many stones that are not rubies are nevertheless called rubies. The balas, or balas ruby, for example, is a type of spinel; the Bohemian ruby is rose quartz; the Siberian ruby is red or pink tourmaline; American ruby, Cape ruby, Montana ruby, and Rocky Mountain ruby are varieties of garnet.The finest rubies are found in central Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) in the neighborhood of Mogok, where rubies have been found since the 15th century in metamorphosed limestones as well as in the overlying weathered zones. Important deposits of rubies are also found in Thailand, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, India, China, and the former Soviet republics.
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