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.

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 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.

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.