Ice Blue Zircon

IceBlueZircon_radiant_7.0x6.8mm_2.69cts_b - Copy

A bright blue color reminiscent of Aquamarine, but with all of Zircon’s dispersion!
our zircon is a naturally occuring gemstone
-it is NOT lab created

Ice Blue Zircons have pleasing colors that are reminiscent of Aquamarine but with a lot more flash. Colors range from a pale blue to a medium pastel blue with a just a tinge of green in each shade.

They are not to be confused with Cubic Zirconia (CZ) which is man-made. Our Ice Blue Zircons are mined in Africa and Cambodia. They come out of the ground in a brown to brownish-red color and are then heated to their ice blue colors.

Occasionally, Ice Blue Zircons will have tenebrescence. This is a rare property that only some zircons have. Gems stored in a dark area (e.g. safe) will look greyish or greenish-blue when they are first taken out. Once they are exposed to light they slowly turn into their ‘normal’ light blue color (usually within a few minutes). This is a fascinating phenomenon that can be repeated over and over again!

Tenebrescence is also known as reversible photochromism. This property is used in synthetic materials to manufacture photochromic or ‘transition’ sunglasses, which darken on exposure to sunlight.

The name ‘Zircon’ derives from the Persian word ‘zargun’ meaning golden hued. Zircons (and possibly other gems) in the pinkish-purplish-reddish color range were historically referred to as “Hyacinth” or “Jacinth”.

Zircons have extremely high dispersion of 0.038, which is the optical property that splits light into its component colors. That explains all those flashes of color when we look at these beautiful gems.

Their refractive index (RI) is also very high ranging from 1.81 to 1.98 and they are durable with a hardness of 7-7.5 for ‘high’ zircons.

Natural Zircons are still available at a fraction of the price of most other gemstones, making them the last undervalued gem!

Zircon is December’s birthstone, providing a lot of color choice for December birthdays!

We have many more colors, shapes and sizes available in Ice Blue Zircon – please contact us if you don’t find what you are looking for in our online inventory.

click here to see a selection of Ice Blue Zircon for sale

Colors

light blue

light greenish-blue

aqua blue

pale blue

and occasionally with tenebrescence, a rare property that only some zircons
have (gems stored in a safe or dark area will look greyish or greenish-blue
when first taken out and then slowly turn into their ‘normal’ light blue color
when exposed to light. This fascinating phenomenon can be repeated over
and over again!!).

Tenebrescence is also known as reversible photochromism. This property is used in synthetic materials to manufacture photochromic or ‘transition’ sunglasses, which darken on exposure to sunlight.

Family/Species

Zircon

Properties

Zircon (high):

RI=1.925-1.984 DR

SG=4.70 (+/-0.03)

Zircon (medium): RI=1.875(+/-0.045)-1.905(+/-0.075) DR

SG=4.32 (+/-0.25)

Zircon (low): RI=1.810(+/-0.030)-1.815(+/-0.030) DR

SG=4.00(+/-0.07)

Dispersion= 0.038

Note: Dispersion is very close to that of Diamond (0.044), making Zircon the original Diamond substitute

Hardness=7.5

Suitable for use in most jewelry

Treatments

We work with both natural and untreated material; some zircon is routinely
heated to enhance color

See policy on Treatment Disclosure

Important information

Extremely bright sparkly
A naturally occurring gemstone- do not confuse with lab-created Cubic Zirconia (CZ)

Birthstone

 December

Anniversary

 

Cuts

Calibrated up to 8mm

Standard and fancy checkerboard cuts 
and free sizes

Mining locations

Africa, Cambodia and some other localities