Underrated Beauty: Zircons

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Melanie's favorite gemstone is December's birthstone: Zircon!

For hundreds of years this stunning gem has been mined in places such as Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, but it has been used in jewelry for thousands of years!

Not to be confused with the man-made simulant, Cubic Zirconia, Zircon is a natural gemstone that is under-appreciated by many and deserves its own spotlight!

ZR0109 rich blue cambodian zircon radiant cut

To the left is a beautiful example of a rich blue Zircon from Cambodia. While Zircons can come in a wide variety of colors, at Stag & Finch, we mostly cut these blue ones.

Just like Montana Sapphires, these gorgeous blue gems are heat-treated to bring out the brilliant shades we find so captivating.

Left: Cambodian Zircon in a radiant 'Framboise'

2.54ct Cambodian Zircon

PHENOMENON: DOUBLING

Below you'll see a special quality of Zircon called Doubling. This phenomenon also occurs in other gems such as Peridot, Moissanite, and Tanzanite. The picture may look blurry, but this is the phenomenon under magnification!

Looking through the stone and focusing on the pavilion facets, it appears as though there are two of every facet junction. Depending on the orientation of the table facet when the Zircon is cut, this effect can be stronger in some while weaker in others.

ZR0134 champagne colored zircon trillion

COLOUR

Not only does Zircon come in blue, but it can also be yellow, orange, brown, red, and white, with the rarest color being green. To the right is a beautiful champagne Zircon.

3.09ct Zircon

BRILLIANCE

Zircons have a higher Refractive Index (1.92) than Sapphires (1.76), making them very brilliant stones that also have a surprising amount of fire and throw amazing flashes of spectral colors. Below is a video of a vibrant Cambodian Zircon cut in our Cushion Nova design.

Dawn halo three stone engagement ring with pink zircon and lab diamonds

HARDNESS & JEWELRY

Zircons are truly amazing stones with a hardness of 7.5. While they can make a beautiful gemstone for a ring, some care does need to be taken to prevent damage such as scratches and chipping.

Left: Peach Zircon Wedding Set

Dawn Wedding Set

5.44ct Cambodian Zircon cut in our Nova Cushion design

5.44ct Cambodian Zircon