Lavandula Zircon 1.80 Cts.

Natural Zircon

Zircon is a colorful gem with high refraction and fire that’s unfairly confused with cubic zirconia. Optical properties make it bright and lustrous. Best known for its brilliant blue hues; also comes in warm autumnal yellows and reddish browns, as well as red and green hues. Zircon found in Australia is the oldest mineral on earth: 4.4 billion years old. Zircon sometimes contains traces of uranium, irradiating itself and changing its properties. Many people have heard of zircon but never seen it. This is mostly because of colorless zircon’s wide use as a diamond simulant in the early 1900s. It was long ago replaced in that role by more convincing look-alikes, but its name still means “imitation” to many people. That’s unfortunate because zircon is a beautiful colored stone with its own fair share of folklore and charm. Blue zircon was a particular favorite in Victorian times, when fine gems were often featured in English estate jewelry dating from the 1880s. Gemologist George Kunz—Tiffany’s famed gem buyer—was a notable zircon advocate. He once proposed the name “starlite” to promote the gem’s fiery nature. The name never caught on.

Zircon is a birthstone for the month of December, along with turquoise and tanzanite.