1.24ct - STUNNING!!! - "ULTRA RARE COLOUR" 100% Natural TOP OCEAN BLUE ZIRCON - CAMBODIA
MAKE AN AWESOME RING OR PENDANT
Zircon is not a very well-known gemstone, but it is one of the most important gemstones of today. Many people confuse zircon with the artificial diamond simulant, cubic zirconia. Of course, the two are completely different - cubic zirconia (CZ), is a lab-created synthetic material, while zircon is a naturally occurring gemstone with a very different chemical composition. However, before the introduction of diamond simulants like cubic zirconia and moissanite, white zircon was actually one of the most popular diamond substitutes, owing to its high dispersion and refractive index, and was often marketed under the misleading trade name of 'Matura diamond'.
Zircon occurs in a wide range of colors, of which white or colorless is likely the least valuable or important. The most popular zircon today is blue zircon, usually occurring with green pleochroism, which can result in interesting teal-like colors. Blue zircon is actually produced by heating more commonly occurring brown zircon. However, only some brown materials have the appropriate physical structure to turn blue when heated, typically only deposits found in South East Asia - which is why most blue zircon comes from Cambodia or Burma.
Zircon is typically classified as low, medium and high zircon, in reference to the presence of optical properties. Low zircon has higher traces of radioactive uranium and thorium, which causes an alteration in physical structure, rendering it near-amorphous, though its physical appearance remains the same as high or medium zircon. Low zircon is typically green to brownish in color. Green zircon is rarely seen in the gem trade and is highly sought after.
Most zircon deposits are alluvial. Sri Lanka is the best known source for green metamict 'low' zircon. Specimens are also found in Burma (Myanmar), and may possibly exist in other well-known zircon deposits in Cambodia. Most zircon deposits come from Burma, though Australia boasts the oldest deposits dating back more over 4.4 billion years. Other notable sources include Brazil, Korea, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam.
PICTURE IS ENLARGED
Gem Type: STUNNING!!! 100% AAA REAL Natural ZIRCON
Shape: OVAL Cut
Quantity: 1
Total Weight: 1.24ct
Colour: TOP OCEAN BLUE
Clarity: VVS
Size: 7 x 5mm
Treatment: NATURAL
Origin: PREAH VIHEAR, CAMBODIA
Hardness: 7.5 MOH'S SCALE
