Zircon Stone - Brilliant Gemstones

Buy Natural Zircon Gemstones

Zircon is a significant gemstone in the world of jewelry, though it’s not widely recognized by the general public. Many people mistakenly confuse zircon gemstone with cubic zirconia, a diamond simulant. However, zircon and cubic zirconia are fundamentally different: cubic zirconia is a synthetic material, whereas zircon is a natural mineral with a distinct chemical makeup. We have a large selection of zircon gemstones for sale.

Zircon is a member of the neosilicate mineral group, which includes minerals that feature both silicon and oxygen in their composition. This group encompasses various gemstones such as garnet, peridot, topaz, andalusite, kyanite, tanzanite, as well as the different forms of beryl, tourmaline, and quartz. Specifically, zircon is zirconium silicate and serves as the primary source of zirconium, a lustrous white-gray metal similar in appearance to titanium.

Zircon is important in the gemstone world because of its very high refractive index (1.810 to 2.024), which is somewhat close to that of diamond (2.417 to 2.419). Zircon gem combines exceptional brilliance with impressive dispersion (also called 'fire'); the tendency to split white light into the spectral colors. Indeed, in the days before diamond simulants like cubic zironia and moissanite, inexpensive white zircon was popular as a substitute for diamond and was often sold under the misleading name "Matura Diamond".

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Zircon occurs in a range of interesting colors, of which white is probably the least important. The most popular color of zircon in today's market is a light electric blue with pleochroism making it appear greenish in one direction. This blue zircon is produced by heat treatment. Only some zircon has the appropriate physical structure to cause it to turn blue when heated. This is why most blue zircon comes from Cambodia or Burma.

Buy Orange Rose Zircon from Tanzania

Some colors of natural zircon stone are not treated in any way. They include rare rose and rose-orange zircon from Tanzania and orange and orange-brown zircon from Cambodia. Green zircon is very rare; this unusual color is caused by minute radioactive elements of uranium and thorium. Yellow or gold zircon is usually heat-treated to improve the color, though untreated specimens can sometimes be found.

Although reasonably hard, (rating 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale), zircon is somewhat brittle and therefore sensitive to knocks and pressure. Zircon has the tendency to wear along facet edges. Its use in rings should therefore be limited to protective settings or occasional-wear jewelry.

Zircon crystal can be found in a number of locations in Asia, especially Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka. African sources are becoming more important, since zircon has been discovered in Tanzania, Madagascar, Mozambique and Nigeria.