It’s the first thing I say to non-jewellery-savvy people when I’m describing what a fabulous and under-used stone blue zircon is. I’m on it almost as the word is out of my mouth to try and stop the inevitable, ‘zircon…zirconia…cubic zirconia???!!!‘ Those in the know appreciate this stone for its colour, brilliance and fire. In its natural state it comes in a variety of colours; yellow, brown, orange, violet, blue, green and red; however most of the bright turquoise-blue material on the market is likely to be heated. In its clear form, it has been used in the past as a diamond simulant, due to its very strong brilliance and fire. You can see this also in the coloured material, and its distinct green-blue colour set it apart from other gemstones. Most similar is London Blue Topaz, but this lacks the liveliness of zircon. It’s been around a long time; in the Middle Ages, it was thought to promote sound sleep, drive away evil spirits and encourage wealth, wisdom and honour. It’s a beautiful stone that deserves more recognition; it looks icy-cool when paired with white metal and deep and warm with yellow. It’s also one of the December birthstones. It has reasonable hardness but is quite brittle if you’re going to put it in a ring, you’ll need to look after it a bit. I’m quite good at accidentally smashing my engagement ring into walls and zircon won’t react well to such treatment! I love the fantastically unique acid-etched meteorite bracelet with zircon pear by Jacob Albee, below.
This necklace and earrings set from Lang Antiques is from the turn of the century – that is, turn of the 19th century. Its sleek lines and clean, unembellished design give it an entirely contemporary feel, however.
I’ve always loved the simplicity and elegance of Nodeform. This ring below pairs a brilliant, sparkling zircon with a satin-finished gold band and the combination is electric.
We have blue zircon in a variety of shapes and sizes. Below, from left to right is blue zircon 9x7mm octagon at $135 per stone, blue zircon mixed cut gemstone, 5mm round at $40 per stone and blue zircon 7x5mm oval at $49 per stone. To browse our entire range, click here.
Joopy Gems | The Blog 