Rubies, the red gems that have, for generations, symbolised true passion between lovers, could disappear from sale in Britain as part of the international crack down on the Burmese junta.

According to campaigners,95 per cent of all rubies that eventually make their way on to the counters of some of the world's most prestigious jewellers, where they sell for up to £500,000, are mined in Burma.

It is claimed that the trade, most of which takes place through third-party countries, has helped line the pockets of the junta's political elite and preserve it in power. But as international condemnation over the treatment of Buddhist monks and other demonstrators who took part in the recent anti-government uprising in which 10 people died, EU ministers and the US have moved to close the loophole.

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