Zircon

Zircon is a beautiful natural gemstone that we use in our contemporary collection.

Featured in jewellery for centuries, particularly as a diamond simulant, zircon is the only natural gemstone that even comes close to the appearance of a diamond, with a very high sparkle, lustre, dispersion, and double refraction.

In other words, it plays excellently with light, making it a brilliant and fiery stone.

Zircon is found in a number of regions around the world, including Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia, USA, South Africa and Australia. As the oldest mineral found on earth so far, some zircon crystals in Australia are estimated to be over 4.4 billion years old.

Unfortunately for zircon, many people confuse it with the cheaper, less valuable cubic zirconia. But zircon and cubic zirconia CZ are two vastly different gemstones - chemically, optically and structurally, zircon and cubic zirconia don’t share any similarities.

Here are some of the main differentiating factors between cubic zirconia and zircon:

Origin

Zircon is a natural mined gemstone. In contrast all cubic zirconia found on the market is synthetic, meaning that it is man-made in labs using technology.

Structure

Zircon is a composition of zirconium silicate whereas cubic zirconia is the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide.

Price

While there are many factors that influence the value of a zircon, zircon is more expensive than cubic zirconia, among the cheapest diamond simulants out there. Also, being a natural gemstone, zircon is more valuable.

Zircon Symbolism and Lore

Zircon is the traditional birthstone for December born babies. In medieval times, people believed that zircon would assist the wearer to sleep. It was also believed to bring wealth, wisdom and knowledge to the owner, and to assist healing with a range of physical problems, such as blisters, sores and varicose veins.

Today, many people value zircon as a crystal that brings a healing energy and mental, physical and spiritual balance. It is said to promote and foster confidence, compassion and strength.

Zircon is seen as a grounding stone, that stimulates your purpose and helps you to reach your goals, and to keep motivated and inspired without losing your focus.