Yeah, this looks like a sapphire on my computer, which for some reason hates red, but its a ruby, and its this years Yule stone. The ruby is a stone of passion and energy, and is one of the four precious stones-the others being diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires. Where can you find the ruby? Well, Afghanistan, believe it or not, is one of the major areas of the earth for ruby mining. I just found this out today. There are also mines in Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Cambodia, and a few other places. In the US, they are to be found in the Carolinas and Montana.
But, possibly the best kept secret as far as the ruby market goes, is the very extensive finds within Greenland. And, of course, certain companies are determined to exploit these mines for all they're worth, at the expense of the native Inuit population, who view the ruby as a divine stone. It is not that uncommon for some to be in possession of stones worth in the neighborhood of half a million dollars.
It has been known for some time that Greenland possessed an abundance of rubies, but it wasn't until the recent retreat of the Northern glaciers and ice floes that perhaps the largest area of ruby mines were uncovered.
Greenland, by the way, is an autonomous state of Denmark, and sends two representatives to the Danish Assembly, yet they are not-repeat not-a member of the EU. I wonder how long that will last. Of course, this could be a way for the Danes to keep the mineral wealth of the island to themselves. There is also diamonds, gold, and petroleum of some kind there, among other things.
The Inuit, both full-blooded and those that are of mixed Danish heritage, all together of whom make up roughly 84% of the population (the other 26 percent are of pure Danish extraction) are discouraged from mining the fields, other than as employees of the major mining companies. Naturally, they have their advocates who are intent on making sure they get their fair share of the profits.
You might want to read this article.
Who would ever imagine land in Greenland would ever look so good?
