Zircon crystals grow in many different types of rock and possess a range of optical and physical properties. Some zircons—usually green ones—display much lower values for these properties than …

(noun) Zircon is possibly from zarkun, the Arabic word for “cinnabar,” a reddish-colored mineral. Or it could be from the Persian word zargun, meaning “gold-colored.”

Cutters usually fashion zircon in the brilliant style to take advantage of its luster and fire. A modification of the brilliant cut, known as the “zircon cut,” uses eight extra facets around the gem’s lower portion, …

Zircon became a December birthstone because it comes in blues similar to turquoise, the other birthstone for that month. Like January’s garnets and September’s sapphires, the variety of colors …

That’s unfortunate because zircon is a beautiful colored stone with its own fair share of folklore and charm. In the Middle Ages, this gem was thought to induce sound sleep, drive away evil spirits, and …

Colorless zircon is known for its brilliance and flashes of multicolored light, called fire. These zircon properties are close enough to the properties of diamond to account for centuries of confusion …

Colorless zircon is known for its brilliance and flashes of multicolored light, called fire, which have resulted in centuries of confusion with diamond. During the Middle Ages, this December birthstone …

Apr 29, 2011 · In gemology, zircon is categorized by the degree of radioactive degradation that has taken place. Highly degraded material with little to no crystal structure remaining is termed “low” or …

Zircon is rated 6 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. It has fair to good toughness. While zircon is not as hard or tough as a stone like sapphire, it can still be worn in all types of jewelry as long as proper care is …

Colorless zircon is one of the most bright and sparkling non-diamond gems. It was often used as a lower-cost diamond substitute in the nineteenth century (1800s).