Celebrated since the Middle Ages, Zircon comes in an array of colors, including blue, green, red, yellow, brown, orange, and clear. Because of its similarity to zirconia, a synthetic diamond, zircon is relatively unknown and misunderstood natural gemstone.
Zircon is one of the heaviest gems, and was once though to aid in sleep, bringing prosperity and wisdom to its owner. Zircon’s namesake most likely comes from the Persian word “zargun,” which means gold-colored.
Zircon is found in many parts of the world, but high concentrations can be found in Southeast Asia, especially in countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It’s many colors and high refractive index – higher even than sapphire or ruby – entice collectors from all over the world.
Zircon is also one of the world’s oldest minerals. Samples of zircon have been dated at 4.4 billion years old, just a geological hiccup older than the formation of the earth nearly 4.6 billion years ago. Tiny zircon fragments can be found almost everywhere in the earth’s crust, but large high quality formations are relatively rare.