Zircon which Century?

[coolguynamek]

Hello all,

To all my dearest reader, I would like to know when white zircon came into existence which looks like diaomond.

 

[Nicrez]

Zircon is as old as Diamond possibly, and is a mineral mined from the earth. Cubic Zirconia is a man-mand diamond SIMULANT, whichis made to look more like diamond than Zircon. Even that material is still not close enough to diamond some say.

You can buy colorless Zircon and see that it does not loook like a well cut diamond, since the doubly refractive material has a different look and also is much softer than diamond, so it will exhibit more wear and tear around facet edges.

 

[rubydick]

Colorless zircon is generally produced by heat treatment of reddish brown zircon from Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam (and other sources). Zircon is a zirconium silicate, a naturally occurring mineral. It was probably first mined as a gemstone in Sri Lanka (gems have been mined there for over 2500 years). Indeed, zircons from Sri Lanka are sometimes called "Matara" (Matarua) diamonds, after one prominent locality.

Other sources of gem zircon include Burma (Mogok Stone Tract) and Australia. Rarely, some of thee Mogok zircons are photosensitive, changing color as they are exposed to light.

Zircon also occurs in yellow, green, red and orange colors. Blue zircon also exists.
In terms of price, colorless zircon is fairly inexpensive in small sizes (tens of dollars/ct.). Larger stones (10 ct. plus) may be $50/ct. or more.

The most valuable zircons are blue. They are produced by heat treatment of reddish brown material that is mostly mined in Ratanakiri province in eastern Cambodia, near Bo Kheo. I visited those mines several years ago, but that's a story for another day

Blue zircons may retail in the US market for as much as $400/ct. for large stones (20 ct. +) of fine color and quality.

 

[coolguynamek]

Are zircon heavy in weight as compare to rubies and sapphires? coz mostly i have seen zircons are of heavy weight as compared to other stones where we buy sell normally. Is it true.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 11/23/2004 11:42:57 AM
Author: coolguynamek
Are zircon heavy in weight as compare to rubies and sapphires? coz mostly i have seen zircons are of heavy weight as compared to other stones where we buy sell normally. Is it true.

CZ is, Zircon... some.

(typos to be replaced after Mogok's note below)

 

[mogok]

Hum,
Sapphire (or ruby) specific gravity is 4 not 3...
Which means that yes compared to the equivalent volume of zircon it is more heavy.

All the best,