This news in the UK caught my eye:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...struction-ruby

The curious case of the £11m ruby sitting on the books of a bankrupt building firm is about to be solved.

Ernst & Young, administrator to Shropshire-based Wrekin Construction, has hired an independent valuer to establish the worth of the gem and expects to have an answer by the end of the week.

The mysterious ruby, called variously the Star of Zanzibar and the Gem of Tanzania, was used to strengthen the balance sheet of the construction company, turning net liabilities in March 2007 to £6m net assets by the end of that year.
Wasn't there a similar scam in Thailand a few years back? I think it involved something bizarre like a ruby being used as security for the construction of the railway line in Laos?