Purple Zircon

an unusual color for Zircons...
PurpleZircon_oval_10.6x8.5mm_4.15cts_N_zn2868

The closest Zircons come to purple in nature are pinkish-purple, reddish-purple or in earth tone mauve colors.

These gems are not to be confused with Cubic Zirconia (CZ) which is a man-made substance.

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”.

Many of our Purple Zircons are mined in East Africa and their colors are usually Natural, not needing any improvement using heat (see product labelling for each gem).

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 a limited supply of shapes and sizes available in Purple 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 Purple Zircon for sale

Colors

pinkish-purple

mauve

brownish-purple

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 (CZz)
Excellent value for money

Birthstone

December

Anniversary

 

Cuts

Calibrated up to 6mm

All standard cuts and free sizes

Mining locations

Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar and other localities