From India to Europe
Our gem is mentioned in the sacred books of India “Mahabharata” and “Rigveda”.
The Indians dedicated the stone to the mythical dragon, which causes lunar and solar eclipses.
The gem arrived in Europe along the Silk Road from Ceylon.
There is information on the Internet that Theophrastus called zircon lincurion . The word comes from “lynx” (lynx) and “oiron” (urine). According to legend, lincurion was congealed lynx urine. However, Theophrastus writes that lincurion is electrified by friction. Zircon does not have this property.
Pliny wrote about “melichris, as if shining through gold like pure honey. India gives them." Current researchers believe that we are talking about zircon.
In ancient Russian manuscripts the gem was called yakinth, jacinth, yacinth .
Expert opinion
Semenishcheva Polina
Specialist in mineralogy. Graduated from St. Petersburg Mining University.
Note : in the old days zircons were used as an imitation of diamonds.
origin of name
There are two versions:
- From “zargun” (Zargun, from “king” gold and “gun” - color; from Persian).
- From the Arabic “tserkvin” - brightly colored.
It is believed that the stone received its name from A. Werner, a famous mineralogist. By the way, it was he who developed the mineral hardness scale. F. Moos improved it a little; It is this scale that we still use to determine the hardness of a stone.
Expert opinion
Semenishcheva Polina
Specialist in mineralogy. Graduated from St. Petersburg Mining University.
W. Brickman was the first to use the name “ zircon ” .
Place of birth matters
The type of crystal depends on the environment. If the gem grew in granite pegmatites, then the crystals grow long-columnar. Alkaline pegmatites - the crystals are born bipyramidal, short-columnar.
Zircon crystal, Pakistan
Cluster of three complex zircon crystals
For birth, zircon prefers igneous and metamorphic rocks.
Since the hardness of the crystals is high, they can be found in placers.
Varieties
List of zircon types:
- Jargon (Siamese diamond). Smoky, straw-yellow, yellow crystals.
- Hyacinth with shades from pink to red-brown.
- Matur-diamond (Matar diamond). Colorless. The name comes from Matara, a city in Sri Lanka.
- Hyacinth-topaz. The color is orange-red.
- Malacon. A radioactive variety of zircon. Very dark, brown-black.
- Starlit - blue. The coloring is unstable, and it is not natural. Starlites are made by firing brown crystals.
Expert opinion
Semenishcheva Polina
Specialist in mineralogy. Graduated from St. Petersburg Mining University.
Make no mistake : if they “match” you with Viennese, Vesuvian, oriental, or Ceylon hyacinth, don’t take it. These are not varieties of zircon. These are: pink corundum, vesuvian, sapphire, hessonite.
Main types of zircon
Zircon has several of the most famous varieties.
Hyacinth
It ranges in color from pale pink to bright red and brown.
Photo: jeffreyhunt.com
Jargon or jargon
Yellow zircon.
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Photo: gemcal.com
Starlit
Bright blue zircon, which received its color after calcination.
Photo: gemcal.com
Zircon is often confused with zirconium, but these are fundamentally different things. Zircon is a natural gemstone, zirconium is a silver-colored metal. Cubic zirconia or cubic zirconia is a well-known cubic zirconia, and its name is associated with the chemical composition of this stone: cubic zirconium dioxide. It is incorrect to call cubic zirconia zircons, since cubic zirconia is an artificial stone.
Properties
Zircon. Zirconium silicate, a subclass of orthosilicates.
Optical microscope photograph; crystal length about 250 µm
SEM-CL image of a zircon grain showing zoning and polycycles (core-rim structure)
Physico-chemical
- Iron oxide and calcium oxide are always present as impurities.
- Hafnium oxide up to 4%. Norwegian alvites from Kragerø contain up to 16% hafnium oxide!
- Often the impurities also contain aluminum oxide.
- Chemically resistant.
- Insoluble in acids.
- The refractive index is very close to diamond.
- Some crystals have a "cat's eye" effect.
- Transparent crystals are usually small. In large crystals, transparency tends to zero.
- The color of the gem depends on the structure of the crystal and the content of impurities.
- Yellow color comes from ferric iron; green - zirconium; blue and red - uranium.
Zircon crystal model
Zircon grains are the size of sand
Important : often radioactive due to impurities of uranium and thorium. Rare earth elements are also impurities. Green crystals have the highest radioactivity. Therefore, it is better not to deal with them at all.
Lithotherapist's book
- In the old days, healers advised wearing zircons during epidemics. Due to the pandemic, we also need to stock up on a gem crystal...
- Hyacinths, according to traditional healers, successfully cleanse the human body of toxins. The stone helps with liver diseases, gives appetite, and promotes emotional balance in a person.
- Jargons and hyacinth topazes stimulate appetite and help with liver diseases. Positively affects the pituitary gland and pineal gland.
- Malacones are useful for pulmonary diseases.
- In ancient times, women used red zircon to prevent unwanted pregnancies. To do this, the stone was heated and kept on the stomach for 2-3 hours (course duration 8-10 days).
Expert opinion
Semenishcheva Polina
Specialist in mineralogy. Graduated from St. Petersburg Mining University.
Interesting : according to astrologers, the powerful energy of zircon is explained by the bipyramidal shape of its crystals (pyramid effect).
The complicated magic of zircon
In the old days, it was believed that a gem would help one rise in life. But only to those people who are (still) at the very beginning of their ascent. That is, zircon will not help oligarchs and large businessmen move even higher.
- But the gem will give anyone good luck in business.
- Moreover, the pebble is absolutely “unprincipled.” Whether it’s helping a crime boss or a volunteer, Zircon doesn’t care.
- The stone improves organizational skills.
- If you wear zircon for a long time, there is a risk of becoming vain, putting yourself above others.
- The positive quality of the gem is that it helps to expose a deceiver and a fraudster.
Medicinal properties
Lithotherapists note a number of beneficial properties of the mineral, each of which is characteristic of a certain type of stone:
- Hyacinth is responsible for the cardiovascular and circulatory system. This nugget is considered the most powerful healer that can influence the course of a disease such as coronary heart disease. The gem, brought to the face, helps stop nosebleeds. The mineral promotes rapid regeneration of the body after operations, wounds, and fractures.
- Jargons have a beneficial effect on the liver, helping this organ carry out its main function - removing poisons and toxins. A ring with a golden stone insert will help cope with various types of poisoning, including alcoholic ones.
- Malakon is a stone of the respiratory system. It is used in the treatment of colds, sinusitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, and pneumonia.
- Matar colorless diamond together with starlite reduce appetite, keep muscles toned, speed up metabolism and eliminate the problem of constipation, thereby promoting weight loss.
Any of the zircons have a calming effect on the nervous system, help to achieve a restful sleep without nightmares, and cure severe mental disorders. This range of beneficial properties, according to lithotherapists, is determined by the peculiarity of the structure of the crystals, which have the shape of a double pyramid.
Areas of application
Not just jewelry. Although many crystals are worthy of decorating your ears and fingers.
Zircon is used to mine rare earth elements and uranium.
Jewelry samples are rare, but in general zircon is quite common and serves as the main ore for zirconium.
Zirconium does not rust (does not corrode) even in aggressive environments. This makes it a strategic raw material. If you don’t build a ship or submarine from ordinary steel, it will rust... Moreover, you can’t do without zirconium when creating nuclear reactors.
Variegated mix
There is a rumor that the Grand Master of the Masonic Order wears a ring with a zircon on the ring finger of his left hand. Whether it’s true or not, we don’t know; we didn’t shake hands with the Grand Master...
Zircon is considered the stone of secret societies. The second name of the gem is “the stone of the mafia,” hired killers.
Esotericists say that the crystal must be cut. When treated as a cabochon, the stone “becomes unmanageable.”
In Russia, zircon was highly respected... by thieves. It was believed that the stone could make the owner invisible.
Advice : buy jewelry with natural stone only in reputable jewelry stores. There the stones are tested for radioactivity.
At the London Natural History Museum. The local collection of zircons was collected by Sir A. Church.
Important : do not confuse a natural gem with cubic zirconia - it is also sometimes called zircon. And completely in vain.
Healing and magical properties of zircon
Ring with yellow zircon.
Photo: elisailana.com Since ancient times, people have worn amulets made of zircon, endowing it with the power of power. In ancient times, this stone was worn by sages. It was believed that zircon helped reveal lies and endowed the owner with intuition and the gift of foresight. Zircon promotes the development of memory and observation, protects against deceivers. An amulet with this stone attracts good luck and promotes wealth.
Questions/Answers
The mineral has many mysteries. Your questions will help us find answers.
Are there three of them?
Let's separate the cutlets from the flies.
