December's Birthstone: Blue Zircon
Two of our most popular rings are our Gentle Wave and Pebble Ring and our Arabesque Pebbles Ring with Blue-Green Zircon. Both of these rings feature December's birthstone, blue zircon. I certainly hope that the ring designs have something to do with their popularity--but I know that the blue zircons have a lot to do with it!
Blue zircon is said to be the oldest gemstone on earth--older even than diamonds!--dating back to when the earth first began to harden from its earlier state of gas, vapors, and fire. It is found in many parts of the world, including East Africa, Sri Lanka, Australia, and Brazil. Their color can range from pastel blue (similar to aquamarine in color) to greenish blue (similar to some blue topaz) to actual green.
The blue zircons that I procure are mined in Cambodia. When shopping for blue zircon, I look for the most exquisitely cut stones as well as colors that are very saturated and in the greenish blue to green color range. I like to use the most unusual stones I can find!
No matter what color it is, a zircon will sparkle like no other stone except for a diamond. This is due to its high refractive index--how it propagates light. As soon as you move either of these rings around in the light, you'll be dazzled by their sparkle; they throw flashes of organges, blues, yellows, and greens!. I find it delightful to see a colored stone throw the light around the same way a good diamond does.
Blue zircon is also a a fairly hard stone (7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale), making them especially good stones for rings. And it is said that people who wear them are protected from evil spirits--and this is a feature that certainly can't hurt.
Arabesque Pebbles Ring with Blue-Green Zircon Regardless of whether it's your birthstone, blue zircon is a stone you can easily fall in love with and that will give you joy every time you look at it.
For more about blue zircon, click here for an interesting article by the International Colored Gemstone Association. Additional information can be found at GIA's website and at The Gemology Project's site, which offers some scientfic facts about zircon and also addresses the difference between zircon--a natural stone--and cubic zirconia, which is lab-created.