Zircon
Hardness
7–7.5, Specific gravity 4.5–4.7, Refractive index 1.91–1.99
Zircon is a silicate of zirconium and crystals. Zircons
come in many different colors, including colorless, yellow, red, brown,
green, blue, orange, and other colors. The colorless stones often
have an excellent brilliance, good fire or high dispersion, and resemble
diamonds. Zircons are often confused with cubic zirconia, the manmade
synthetic diamond substitute. Zircon does not have cleavage, but can
be brittle, and a slight hit can knock off a corner or crack the gemstone.
A zircon can be distinguished from a diamond by the way it refracts
light into divergent rays, making the back facets when viewed from
above, appear doubled.
The best zircons are found in Sri Lanka, but zircons
are also found in Cambodia, south Vietnam near the Cambodian border,
New South Wales in Australia, Myanmar (Burma), Canada, Norway, Russia,
and France. Zircon is found in Kashmir, Coimbatore, Bihar, Shimla,
and Kulu—all in India.An auspicious zircon will be: transparent,
homogenous, radiant, of a good color, lustrous, and soft to the touch.
A good color for a zircon is honey or the color of cow urine.
An inauspicious zircon will not be radiant, will be
flat-bodied, have a light, blackish hue when seen from a distance,
be full of layers, rough, and look like a yellow piece of glass.
A zircon should weigh six, eleven, or thirteen carats
and be set in iron or silver. A zircon ring should be worn on the
middle finger of the left hand on a Saturday two hours after sunset.
