Gems TV

ZIRCON

Zircon’s name is either derived from the Arabic word “zarkun”, meaning red, or a combination of the ancient Persian words “zar”, meaning gold and “gun”, meaning colour. Despite this name, Zircon actually occurs in a myriad of colours.

Zircon’s brilliant lustre, fire and bright hues makes it an enjoyable addition to any jewellery collection.

Legends and lore

Zircon has been found in some of the most ancient archaeological sites.

Zircon has appeared in literature and the gem trade under a variety of names including Jargon (Yellow Zircon), Jacinth (Red Zircon), Matara Diamond (White Zircon), Starlite (Blue Zircon), Hyacinth (Blue, Yellow and Red Zircon) and Ligure.

Zircon is first mentioned in the ancient Indian tale of the Kalpa Tree. Described by Hindu poets as the ultimate gift to the gods, it was a bright glowing tree with bejewelled leaves of Zircon.

The gemstone of fiery starlight, Jewish legends say that Zircon was the name of the guardian angel sent to watch over Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Zircon is mentioned in the Bible (using the name Jacinth for its red variety) as being one of the “stones of fire” (Ezekiel 28:13-16) that were given to Moses and set in the breastplate of Aaron (Exodus 28:15-30). Zircon is also one of the twelve gemstones set in the foundations of the city walls of Jerusalem (Revelations 21:19) and associated with the Apostle Simon.

The Roman historian, Pliny the Elder, compared Blue Zircon’s colour to hyacinth flowers.

Traditionally, Zircon is a gem of purity and innocence. Zircon is believed to promote inner peace while providing the wearer with wisdom, honour and riches. Legend also has it that a Zircon’s loss of lustre is a warning of imminent danger.

Zircon’s popularity grew dramatically in the 16th century when Italian artisans featured the gem in jewellery designs. In the 1880’s Blue Zircon was widely used in Victorian jewellery.

Just the facts

Although Zircon’s existence predates Cubic Zirconia by centuries, Zircon is often unfairly confused with Cubic Zirconia. Cubic Zirconia is a cheap, synthetic Diamond substitute that resembles colourless Zircon and has a similar sounding name. While Zircon may also be used as an excellent Diamond substitute, it is valuable in its own right.

The fire in Zircon, called dispersion, is caused by light entering the gemstone and separating into a prism of rainbow colours. Possessing dispersion approaching that of Diamond, the brilliance of Zircon is second to none. The Zircon cut, a variation of the Round Brilliant cut that adds eight extra facets to the pavilion, was designed to take advantage of these properties.

A very unique characteristic of Zircon is birefringence (doubly refractive), meaning that light splits into two rays as it passes through the gem. As a result, the back facets appear as double images, lending optical depth to the gem. Zircon also has an adamantine (Diamond-like) lustre, lending further credence to its suitability as a Diamond substitute.

Zircon remains unscathed while other rocks and minerals melt and reform under the tremendous heat and pressure of continental shifts, mountain-building and violent asteroid impacts. Once only considered a Diamond alternative, Zircon is in fact incredibly ancient. A tiny fragment of Zircon discovered in Western Australia is the oldest known object on earth at 4.4 billion years old (the Earth formed less than 150 million years earlier). Diamonds in comparison are quite young, a mere 1 billion to 3.3 billion years old.

Cambodia is arguably the world’s premiere source for gorgeous Blue Zircon. One hundred kilometres north of Angkor Wat, close to the Cambodian Thai border, are the mines of Preah Vihear. Remote, pristine and stunningly beautiful, Ratanakiri is another major centre for Cambodian Zircon, yielding some of the world’s finest Blue Zircon. Ratanakiri literally means “gemstone mountain”. South of the city, a mining camp has been carved from the forest, where workers toil to extract Ratanakiri Zircon from narrow mine shafts that tap into an alluvial layer about 4.5 metres below the surface. Matt MacNamara, one of GemsTV’s presenters, visited several Ratanakiri Zircon mines in 2004 and 2007: “I was amazed to see the miners still using traditional mining techniques, which remain effective to this day. It’s easy to forget how much work goes into unearthing these wonderful gems”.

A unification of fire and ice, Ice Zircon™ mixes the pure clear whites of ice with a fiery brilliance and lustre reminiscent of Diamonds. Proprietary to GemsTV, our Ice Zircon™ hails from Mahenge, Tanzania in East Africa.