BY STEVE VOYNICK
Zircon, or zirconium silicate, is the most abundant zirconiumbearing mineral. This specimen of a wine-colored crystal of zircon perched atop a contrasting matrix hails from the Haramosh Mountains of Pakistan. (The Arkenstone,
irocks.com)
Despite similar-sounding names, zircon, zirconium, and cubic zirconia refer respectively to a mineral, an element, and a synthetic material. Zircon is the mineral zirconium silicate (ZrSiO4), which contains the elements zirconium, silicon, and oxygen. It crystallizes in the tetragonal system and has a very substantial Mohs hardness of 7.5. With its durability, high index of refraction, and range of pleasing colors, zircon is an attractive gemstone; the colorless variety was once a popular–and sometimes fraudulent– substitute for diamond.