December – Blue Zircon Month

Decembers’ Blue Zircon Month is a season for celebration, especially with the holidays upon us.  Are you in a quandary about what to buy that special person for Christmas?  Well, Blue Zircon is your answer.  Please don’t confuse Blue Zircon with cubic zirconia.  Cubic zirconia a synthetic stone.  Blue Zircon is a natural material known as zirconium silicate.  It is found in many parts of Asia, Europe, and South America.

The best characteristic Blue Zircon displays is, when faceted, fire and brilliance that resembles a diamond.  People will “ooh and aah” when they see this stone, it’s that outstanding!.  But let’s get beyond the sexiness of the stone, and get down to the facts.

Properties of Zircon

• Blue Zircon, comes from the Zircon family.  This stone provides us with many colors such as orange, yellow, red, green, blue,and brown.  Of these, blue is the most popular.  Two things that make Zircon so popular: refractive index and dispersion.  Dispersion is the optical property of a gemstone.  This occurs when white light splits when passing through a crystal.  This will cause light to fan out into spectral colors, i.e. visible colors.  Because individual spectral colors have different wave lengths, it will cause them to bend differently (Gemstones Of The World, W. Schumann, 1977).
• Gemologists know Zircon has a high refractive index (RI). Jewelers often promote this to their advantage when stone cutting, as it helps to bring out the much desired sparkle.  Refractive Index describes the ability to bend or slow light as it travels through a gemstone.  According to Better Than Diamonds,(https//www.betterthandiamonds.com), the higher refraction equals higher brilliance.   More brilliance in the jewelry world sells better.  A refractometer is the device that measures Refractive Index.   When you measure a Diamond with this devise, the refractive index is 2.4.  Zircon has a refractive index of 1.99.  That may sound low when compared to the diamond, but actually does better than all other gemstones combined!

History of Zircon

1. How old is Zircon?   Historians believe Zircon dates back to biblical times. However, scientists believe Zircon is about 4.4 billion years ago.  The point is, Zircon is old!
2. During biblical times, before there was a gem classification,  Zircon was also known as Jacinth, Haycinth, or Jargon.  These terms are no longer in existence the gem world vocabulary. 
3. Throughout the Middle Ages, many believed Zircon could ward off bad spirits and provide deep sleep.  Additionally, honor, riches and wisdom would come to those possessing this stone.(https://www.en.emmanuelleguyon.com)
4.  It became common practice the Victorian Age for jewelers to substitute faceted white Zircon for Diamonds.  This would give customers beautiful work for a fraction of the cost. Not unlike what we see today, eh?  
5. In 1952 Zircon became the December birthstone or gemstone by the Jewelry Industry Council of America. Additionally, Turquoise and Tanzanite are also birthstones for December.

So there you have it.  A brief rundown on this little known beauty.  If you want to find something that has brilliance and fire, then look no further than to Blue Zircon.  This is one stone that won’t disappoint! P.S. Elementas Jewelry has quite a few items that display this lovely stone.  Check us out!