Zircon was the first natural diamond simulant because of its resemblance in appearance to diamonds. It’s the only natural gemstone that comes close to resembling a diamond in appearance, making jewelry like 925 sterling zircon necklace a popular option.
Zircon is a natural stone that many people confuse with the less valuable cubic zirconia. While few people are aware of zircon today, it has long been prized for its natural radiance and attractive qualities. It’s a lovely natural stone that’s like diamonds in many ways. Zircon is the world’s oldest mineral; its discovery can be dated back to 4.4 billion years ago in Australia.
Zircon is derived from the Persian word ‘zargun,’ which means ‘gold-colored.’ However, due to various impurities present during the stone’s formation, zircon can come in a variety of colors. Zircon can sometimes contain traces of uranium and be slightly radioactive. In such cases, the zircon is treated to make it stable enough to be used in jewelry. Don’t let this deter you from adding zircon to your jewelry collection; the tiny amounts of radioactivity found in zircon jewelry pose no health risks to humans.
The most valuable zircon variety is blue, which is also one of the most sought-after. Due to the scarcity of natural blue zircon, many blue stones on the market have been heat-treated to achieve the signature zircon pastel blue shades. The purest form of zircon is colorless zircon is extremely rare. It is, in fact, much rarer than diamonds but far less valuable.
Green zircon is the most sought-after of all zircon colors because it is the rarest variety. It’s a collector’s item that’s difficult to come by. Pleochroism can be seen in some zircon stones. This refers to the stone’s ability to display two or more colors depending on the angle from which it is viewed. The two most commonly seen colors are blue and green, resulting in a teal-like color.