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Color:
Brown to a reddish brown, but
other colors are possible
Durability:
Good, but care should be taken
as the stone can be brittle
Localities:
Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka
Zircon
varieties
Blue Zircon
White Zircon
Green Zircon
Rose Zircon
Yellow Zircon
Brown or Champagne Zircon
Orange Zircon
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Zircon
Zr(SiO4)
Zirconium Silicate
Zircon is a zirconium silicate that contains trace amounts
of the radioactive minerals hafnium, uranium and thorium.
Over time, these radioactive components break down the lattice
of the crystal, eventually (over tens of thousands of years)
destroying the crystal, leaving it with an amorphous structure
and a dark pithy appearance. Zircons that are young and
unaffected by radioactivity are termed "high" zircons. These
stones are transparent golden, yellowish-green and greenish-brown
in color with incredibly high dispersion. "High" zircons
can be heated to temperatures greater than 1800 degrees
Fahrenheit and become colorless or blue. These highly dispersive
colorless stones have long been used as diamond substitutes.
That's why the name zircon has the connotation of synthetic
or imitation. It was used to imitate a diamond, but the
stone is indeed naturally occurring. It should not be confused
with the synthetic cubic zirconium, which is in no way related
to zircon.
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