History of Zircon

Zircon is a crystal of the history of mankind and the Earth itself. A piece of zircon discovered in Australia in 2014 is nearly 4.5 billion years old, almost as old as the earth itself. Known in the Bible as hyacinth or jacinth, various zircons are one of the 12 stones of Israel mentioned in the Bible, and traditional Hindu poetry mentions a legendary tree with zircon gemstones.

Over the years, the image of zircon has been used first as a cheap alternative to diamonds due to its transparent form, and then more recently confused with cubic zirconia, a man-made diamond substitute. It's a shame because zircon crystals make up a beautiful gemstone that covers a range of colors from golden yellow to deep reds, greens and blues and even black.

The name zircon comes from the Arabic word "Zarqun" meaning red or the similarly pronounced Persian word "Zargun" meaning gold, and it is found all over the world, with some of the best examples being produced in East Africa and Southeast Asia. East Africa and Southeast Asia have produced some of the best examples. In 1783, Abraham Werner renamed it zircon.

The description of zircon

The main component of zircon is zirconium silicate, with a chemical formula of Zr[SiO4]. In addition to zirconium, it often contains hafnium, rare earth elements, niobium, tantalum, and thorium. Zircon is classified into high-type zircon and low-type zircon according to its origin.
In gemology, zircon is divided into "high-type," "intermediate-type," and "low-type" based on the degree to which radioactive elements in zircon affect its refractive index, hardness, and density. Zircon belongs to the tetragonal crystal system.
Its crystal form is short columnar with a combination of tetragonal prisms and tetragonal bipyramids, and its aggregate form is granular. Pure zircon is colorless, while impure zircon can be red, yellow, blue, purple, brown, etc., with the best colors being colorless, transparent red, and blue.
It has adamantine luster, is transparent to translucent, and has white streaks. It is quite brittle. Under ultraviolet light, "high-type" zircon exhibits red fluorescence.
Based on color, high-type zircon can be further divided into: colorless, blue, red, brown, yellow, green zircon, etc. Due to its strong luster, high dispersion, and high hardness, it is often used as a substitute for diamonds and has become a top choice for medium to low-grade gemstones.

Zircon Colors

Which color zircon is the most expensive? Zircon comes in a variety of colors, including some stunning yellow and orange varieties, and even pinks and greens, but without a doubt the most popular and valuable are the stunning blue specimens. While they may be the most popular, blue zircons are almost always naturally brown and are heat-treated to a stunning blue color.

The color of a zircon gemstone can change dramatically when viewed from different angles; for example, a blue zircon may appear green when viewed from certain angles. The technical term for this is pleochroism. Gemstones of medium-dark, pure blue color are the most valuable. Green zircons are probably the rarest colored zircons; they are hard to find and often very expensive. White zircon is actually transparent and is sought after for its resemblance to diamonds.

The Amazing Benefits of Zircon

In the West, red zircon is worn as a hypnotic, to ward off the plague and defeat evil. In some countries, zircon is now used together with turquoise as the "December birthstone" to symbolize success and victory.