Zircon comes in almost every color of the spectrum and is an alternate birthstone for December. Much of the zircon sold in jewelry stores is blue. This color results from heating brownish zircon.
Zircon is not the same as cubic zirconia (CZ). Zircon is natural zirconium silicate, a gemstone with exceptional brilliance, fire and a diamond-like luster. Cubic zirconia is zirconium oxide, a synthetic stone with a different chemical composition and a greater resistance to scratching than zircon. When colorless and well-cut, both stones resemble diamonds. Before CZ was introduced to the market in 1976, heat-treated, colorless zircon was widely used as a diamond imitation. Gemologists can easily distinguish zircon from diamond because zircon is much softer (Mohs 6-7.5) and zircon has strong double refraction which causes its facet edges to appear doubled. CZ has stronger fire (dispersion = 0.060) than both diamond and zircon.
Before the 1900s, orange or reddish-brown zircon, called hyacinth, was the most common type. The name “zircon” may have originated from the Persian word zargun meaning gold-color. Three of the main sources of zircon are Cambodia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. It is also found in Vietnam, Myanmar, Tanzania, France and Australia. According to the Smithsonian Magazine (Feb 2014), zircon found in Australia is the oldest mineral on earth: 4.4 billion years old. The oldest dated diamonds are 3.5 billion years and are from Canada (G & G, Spring 2019).
Based in Saint John. New Brunswick Canada, Murray Donovan is a geologist who became a gemologist and gem seller. His goal is to provide customers with high-quality cut gemstones like this zircon and protect them from buying poorly cut stones. Since 2008, his company, Gemrough, has had a store on the Gem Rocks Auctions website, whose original goal was to connect opal miners directly with buyers through a transparent, trustworthy marketplace, but now is a platform for the sale of other gemstones too.
See more Gemrough gems at www.gemrockauctions.com/stores/gemrough
Guest articles by Renée Newman:
https://gem-spectrum.com/category/renee-newman
About the author:
Renée Newman is a gemologist (GG, GIA), lecturer, writer and author of 15 books on gems and jewelry. Her goal is to provide consumers and jewelry professionals with unbiased, affordable information on how to buy, evaluate and appreciate gems and jewelry. She can be reached through her website:
