Cambodian Blue Zircon
Zircon's name is either derived from the Arabic word zarkun meaning red or a combination of the ancient Persian words zar meaning gold and gun meaning color. Despite this name zircon actually occurs in a myriad of colors.
Cambodian Blue zircon is undoubtedly the most brilliant blue gemstone which has higher refractive index than any other blue gemstone. Zircon is a natural mineral zirconium silicate. Zircon's brilliant luster fire and bright hues make it an enjoyable addition to any jewelry collection.
Blue zircon has some unique properties that make it very popular with gemstone aficionados. Not only does zircon have outstanding brilliance but it also has very strong dispersion or fire the tendency to split white light into the spectral colors. Zircon also has very pronounced birefringence or double refractivity where the difference between the two refractive indices is unusually high. This can be often observed with the naked eye when you look down through the table of a cut zircon; you will observe facet doubling that makes the facet edges looked blurred.
• Zircon has been found in some of the most ancient archaeological sites.
• Zircon is first mentioned in the ancient Indian tale of the Kalpa tree. Described by Hindu poets as the ultimate gift to the gods the bright glowing tree was bejeweled with leaves of zircon.
• The gemstone of fiery starlight Jewish legends say that zircon was the name of the guardian angel sent to watch over Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
• Zircon is mentioned in the Bible (using the name jacinth for its red variety) as being one of the stones of fire (Ezekiel 28:13"16) that were given to Moses and set in the breastplate of Aaron (Exodus 28:15"30).
• Zircon is also one of the twelve gemstones set in the foundations of the city walls of Jerusalem (Revelations 21:19) and associated with the Apostle Simon.
• The Roman historian Pliny the Elder compared blue zircon's color to hyacinth flowers.
• Traditionally zircon is a gem of purity and innocence. Zircon is believed to promote inner peace while providing the wearer with wisdom honor and riches. Legend also has it that a zircon's loss of luster is a warning of imminent danger.
• Zircon's popularity grew dramatically in the 16th century when Italian artisans featured the gem in jewelry designs. In the 1880's blue zircon was widely used in Victorian jewelry.
GemGPS
Location: Cambodia
Cambodia is the world's premiere source for gorgeous blue zircon. Remote pristine and stunningly beautiful Ratanakiri province is the major center for Cambodian zircon yielding most of the world's finest blue zircon. We source all our Blue Zircon from Bo Kheo mines in Cambodia.
- Although zircon's existence predates cubic zirconia by centuries zircon is often unfairly confused with cubic zirconia.
- Cubic zirconia is a man-made diamond substitute that resembles colorless zircon and has a similar sounding name. While zircon may also be used as an excellent diamond substitute it is valuable in its own right.
- The fire in zircon called dispersion is caused by light entering the gemstone and separating into a prism of rainbow colors. Possessing dispersion approaching that of diamond the brilliance of zircon is second to none. The zircon cut a variation of the round brilliant cut that adds eight extra facets to the pavilion was designed to take advantage of these properties.
- An interesting characteristic of zircon is that its birefringence (double refraction meaning that light splits into two rays as it passes through the gem) is great enough to produce visible doubling of the back facets in larger stones. Zircon also has an adamantine (diamond-like) luster lending further credence to its suitability as a diamond substitute.
- Zircon remains unscathed while other rocks and minerals melt and reform under the tremendous heat and pressure of continental shifts mountain-building and violent asteroid impacts. Once only considered a diamond alternative zircon is in fact incredibly ancient. A tiny fragment of zircon discovered in Western Australia is the oldest known object on earth at 4.4 billion years old (the Earth formed less than 150 million years earlier). Diamonds in comparison are quite young a mere one billion to 3.3 billion years old.
- Blue Zircon is one of the birthstones for December. Blue Zircon is a brilliant and natural gemstone that is sure to stand out. It has a hardness of 7 to 7.5 on Mohs scale.