Zircon: Brilliant but Misunderstood

History & Interesting Facts:

Hindu poets tell of the Kalpa Tree, the ultimate gift to the gods, which was a glowing tree covered with gemstone fruit with leaves of zircon. Zircon has long had a supporting role to more well-known gemstones, often stepping in as an understudy when they were unavailable.

Natural zircon today suffers for the similarity of its name to cubic zirconia, the laboratory-grown diamond imitation. Some don't realize that there is a beautiful natural gemstone called zircon.

Zircon occurs in a wide range of colors but for many years, the most popular was the colorless variety which looks more like diamond than any other natural stone due to its brilliance and dispersion.

Today the most popular color is blue zircon. Most blue zircon, which is considered an alternate birthstone for December, is a pastel blue, but some exceptional gems have a bright blue color. Zircon is also available in green, dark red, yellow, brown, and orange.

Sources:

Zircon is mined in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Australia, and other countries. The wide variety of colors of zircon, its rarity, and its relatively low cost make it a popular collector's stone. Collectors enjoy the search for all possible colors and variations.

Mythical & Magical Properties:

In the middle ages, zircon was said to aid sleep, bring prosperity, and promote honor and wisdom in its owner. The name probably comes from the Persian word zargun which means "gold-colored," although zircon comes in a wide range of different colors.

Zircon is projective and is a somewhat confusing stone. It is found in many colors, but some of them have been artificially produced.

• Clear or White Zircon is a magical substitute for diamond. It clears the thinking process.
• Yellow Zircon is worn to increase sexual energy or to attract love. Carry it to drive away depression and to increase alertness.
• Orange Zircon is worn to increase beauty. Carried during travel it guards again injury. Set in gold, it is doubly powerful.
• Red Zircon increases riches and guards against injuries. A protective stone, it vitalizes and heals the body.
• Brown Zircon is used for grounding and centering and is employed in wealth and money spells.
• Green Zircon is used in money spells.

Specifications:

• Hardness: 6 to 7 ½
• Toughness: Fair to Good
• Cleavage: None

Zircon is one of the heaviest gemstones, which means that it will look smaller than other varieties of the same weight. Zircon jewelry should be stored carefully because although zircon is relatively hard, it can abrade and facets can chip. Dealers often wrap zircons in individual twists of paper so that they will not knock against each other in a parcel.

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Last modified: November 20, 2009