How to identify real zircon?

We often hear cubic zirconia, zirconium and zircon. Sometimes clients say: “It’s a pity that cubic zirconia is used, zirconium would be better.”
And the names “zircon” and “zirconium” are perceived by many as equivalent. But this is far from the same thing, let’s figure it out.

Zircon

Zircon is a natural mineral. Its radiance, similar to that of diamond, plus high dispersion (the decomposition of light into a spectrum, causing a play of color, “fire”) meant that until 1980, zircon was often used as an analogue of diamond in jewelry. Nowadays, stone is not a frequent guest in jewelry workshops, since the mineral is very fragile and processing – to reveal all its beauty – is very difficult.

Fianit

Scientists from all countries have long tried to grow a synthetic analogue of diamond. A shock to the world scientific community was the result of the Physics Institute of the Academy of Sciences: in 1968, a group of physicists and chemists under the leadership of V.V. Osiko grew a crystal with a color refraction closest to that of a diamond. The stone was called “cubic zirconia” – after the abbreviation of the scientific institution. The developers did not think about the jewelry industry; the reason for the synthesis was to find an analogue of diamond for industrial laser production, but the aesthetic properties of the stone turned out to be so high that it soon became the most sought-after mineral as a replica of diamond. Large-scale production of cubic zirconia in the USSR began in 1973. Two years later, a Swiss company copied the synthesis technology of Soviet scientists and began producing the same cubic zirconia under the trade name “jevalite”.

Zirconium

A few years later, in 1976, enterprising US technologists mastered the development of crystal synthesis at the Physical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences and began production of the same cubic zirconia. But it’s not for nothing that the Americans are the Gods of Marketing: they called the completely copied product “cubic zirconium.” This is in tune with the natural stone – “zircon” and the chemical element – ​​“zirconium”; as a result, buyers get the impression that the mineral is not synthetic, but natural. As a result, the name “cubic zirconia” occurs only in the post-Soviet space; in all other countries this crystal – cubic zirconium dioxide with the formula ZrO2 is called cubic zirconium – CZ (Cubic Zircona), dzhevalite, Shelby, Daimonsky. In terms of hardness and brilliance, cubic zirconias are not much inferior to diamonds, and synthesizing them is both faster (crystals grow by 1 cm in 1 hour) and cheaper than mining natural stones.
By “diamond cutting” the unsurpassed shine of cubic zirconia is created and this synthetic crystal still haunts jewelers. Zircon is a natural stone. Zirconium is a chemical element. When used in the description of a jewelry insert, it means cubic zirconium. Cubic zirconia is a synthetic stone. Cubic zirconium is 100% synonymous with the word “cubic zirconia” – the same synthetic mineral, just a different trade name. How to distinguish cubic zirconia from diamond and zircon Visually distinguishing a diamond from a synthetic crystal in jewelry is quite difficult. But if you look at a natural mineral under a magnifying glass, there will be voids and inclusions in it, while cubic zirconia is pristinely pure and transparent. If possible, place the stone on the printed text – the letter is not visible through the diamond, but the text is clearly visible through cubic zirconia. With the same volumes, the synthetic mineral is heavier than zircon and diamond.
Zircon has insignificant radioactive radiation (green and brown stones are quite strong, it is highly not recommended to wear them constantly on the body), zirconium and diamond do not have this property. Jewelry brand Lerian uses only natural gem-cut stones. And all inserts are made only from natural zircons. January 17, 2023 The variety of precious stones is so great that jewelry buyers often have a question about how to distinguish a natural gem from an artificial one, without remembering the tongue twister about the three brothers, and whether there is a significant difference between them.

Once upon a time there lived three brothers: cubic zirconia, zircon and zirconium

Zirconium — name of a chemical element. Due to the similarity of names, it is often confused with zircon, but this is erroneous, at least because zirconium is a metal, and zircon is a mineral. Zirconium has a silver-gray color, it is ductile and practically not subject to corrosion. Zirconium is valued in medicine and nuclear energy. It has good biocompatibility and resistance to biological environments, and therefore excellent hygienic properties. This metal is used for prosthetics, surgical instruments and utensils. Many people find it beneficial to wear zirconium bracelets, but this benefit is not supported by scientific research. Zirconium is rarely found in jewelry, so if this word is written in the passport of your new ring, then most likely we are talking not about the metal, but about an insert made of cubic zirconia, or “cubic zirconium”. Zircon is a natural stone, zirconium silicate, obtained naturally. The main deposits are located in East Asia and Madagascar. The mineral of volcanic origin is also mined in the Urals, Yakutia, Brazil, Canada, some states of America and Australia. Externally, zircon is very similar to diamond, it has similar light refractive properties and can shine no worse than a cut diamond. In nature, zircon occurs in different shades, it can be red, blue, and green. Shades of stone are obtained due to impurities of iron, zinc, copper, titanium or calcium. In terms of cost, zircon is on par with sapphire, and due to its brilliance, it is considered the younger brother of diamond. Although its strength is much less – only 7,5 on the Mohs scale. Until the end of the 20th century, it often replaced expensive diamonds in jewelry. However, now zircon is rarely used, and we are more likely to see it in vintage jewelry than in modern jewelry – the reason for this is the high cost and fragility of the stone, it is easily scratched, ground down and does not always lend itself well to cutting. However, zircon was replaced by another stone – cubic zirconia. Many people still believe that cubic zirconia and zircon are the same mineral, but this is a misconception. Fianit – a mineral of artificial origin. The chemical composition of cubic zirconia is cubic zirconium dioxide. This stone was obtained by scientists from the Physical Institute of the Academy of Sciences and it received its beautiful name from the abbreviation of the institute. In the course of long research, scientists tried to obtain a mineral with properties close to diamond, and in 1968 they succeeded. Cubic zirconia was synthesized for industrial work; no one even thought about jewelry, but its aesthetic characteristics were so high that years later the mineral began to be used as an analogue of diamond in jewelry. During the growth process, various chemicals were added to the crystals. This made it possible to obtain stones of red, green, golden and even black colors. Thus, cubic zirconia became an inexpensive substitute for emeralds and rubies. Zirconium Zircon Cubic zirconia (cubic zirconia)

What is cubic zirconia?

In 1976, cubic zirconia production became widespread, but it was obvious to marketers that selling artificial stones was much more difficult than natural ones. This is how the name “cubic zirconia” appeared. It is consonant with the name of the natural mineral and has taken root in Europe and America. So if a piece of jewelry says “cubic zirconia,” it is talking about cubic zirconia, not a special form of zirconium metal, and certainly not zircon. Hence the big difference in price for jewelry with zircon and cubic zirconium.

How to distinguish a diamond from zircon and cubic zirconia?

— The easiest way — choose jewelry from well-known manufacturers. The passport for the jewelry must contain all the information about stone inserts.
— A real diamond and zircon cannot be cheap unless they are very small in size. A price that is too low is a sure sign that this is a synthetic stone.
— Cubic zirconia will be slightly heavier than a diamond or zircon of the same size due to its high density.
— It is not so easy to distinguish stones by appearance. But if you look at a natural mineral under a magnifying glass, it will always have small inclusions, while synthetic stones are completely transparent.
— Try looking through a stone at some object. For all its transparency, a diamond will hide from you everything that is behind it, whereas through cubic zirconia you can read any text.

What stones are best to choose when buying jewelry?

It all depends on your budget and personal wishes. Many people prefer to wear only natural minerals, although synthetic ones are no worse in their properties and are sometimes safer.
— No matter how beautiful zircon is, one of its disadvantages is not only softness and fragility, but also a slight radioactive radiation. If the stone has a green or brown tint, then the radiation will be greater and it cannot be worn constantly.
— Of course, if you prefer only natural minerals, take a look at diamond rings. Jewelry with zircon is a rare guest on the modern market. Due to the fact that it is now practically not used in the jewelry industry, the cost of zircon can be even higher than the cost of a diamond.
— A diamond ring is the best engagement gift, but if you like rings with large stones or don’t want to buy something too expensive, cubic zirconia may be a better choice. The price of a diamond increases in proportion to its weight, while large cubic zirconias will be much more affordable.
— For those who care about the environment, the opportunity to choose jewelry with synthetic stones is the way out. After all, during their extraction, the rocks do not suffer, but are grown in a cozy laboratory.