White Zircon

WhiteZircon_round_pair_11.0mm_15.54cts_zn1661_sh_web_b

white zircon – the ORIGINAL diamond substitute!
Our zircon is a naturally occuring gemstone, not to be confused with man-made
CZ (it is NOT lab created)

White Zircons are the ORIGINAL Diamond substitute! If anyone asks, ‘Is it Real?’ The answer is ‘YES!’

White Zircon are real gemstones mined from the Earth. These gems are not to be confused with Cubic Zirconia (CZ) which is a man-made substance.

For centuries people turned to White Zircon with its wonderful properties when they were trying to achieve the look of a diamond without the price.

The manufacture and mass-marketing of Cubic Zirconia in the late 1970’s led to White Zircons being an almost-forgotten gem, and probably led to the undervaluation of Natural Zircons.

Significant sources of White Zircon include East Africa and Cambodia. They are routinely heated to achieve their white or near-colorless appearance. Occasionally we get Natural, unheated gems too (see product labelling for each gem).

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”.

Occasionally, White Zircons will have tenebrescence. This is a rare property that only some zircons have. Gems stored in a dark area (e.g. safe) will have a greyish or light brown color when they are first taken out. Once they are exposed to light they slowly turn into their ‘normal’ near-colorless state (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.

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 White 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 White Zircon for sale

Colors

white

near-colorless

greyish-white

light champagne

And occasionally with tenebrescence, a rare property that only some zircons have (gems stored in a safe or dark area will look greyish or brownish-white when first taken out and then slowly turn into their ‘normal’ white 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)
Excellent value for money

Birthstone

 December

Anniversary

 

Cuts

Calibrated up to 8mm

Standard and fancy checkerboard cuts 
and free size       

 Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and other localities