Zircon has long had a supporting role to more well-known gemstones, replacing
them when they were unavailable.
In the middle ages, Zircon was said to aid sleep, bring prosperity, and promote
honour and wisdom in its owner. The name probably comes from the
Persian word "zargun" which means "gold-coloured," although
Zircon comes in a
wide range of different colours.
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 colours but for many years, the most popular was
the colourless variety which looks more like a diamond than any other natural
stone due to its brilliance and dispersion.
Today the most popular colour 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 colour. Zircon is also available in
green, dark red, yellow, brown, and orange.
Zircon is mined in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Australia, and other
countries.
Zircon is one of the heaviest gemstones, which means that it will look smaller
than other varieties of the same weight. Zircon jewellery 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.
The wide variety of colours of Zircon, its rarity, and its relatively low cost
make it a popular collector's stone. Collectors enjoy the search for all
possible colours and variations.
