The beautiful, historically important white colored gemstone,
"White Zircon", has unfortunately in recent years become tarnished by its name-only similarity to cheap, ubiquitous, synthetic cubic zirconia. Of course the two are totally distinct in their
chemistry,
optical properties and origins. A natural loose gemstone, white zircon is found in many Asian countries, notably Sri Lanka as well as in Brazil, Australia and East Africa. Colorless when pure, the
zirconium silicate takes on various
shades due to impurities. The
brilliance and beauty of this gemstone makes it very popular and is reasonably priced in comparison with most other colorless gems. Well faceted
white zircon gems rival diamond in beauty. The wide variety of
colors of zircon, its rarity, and its relatively low cost make it a popular collector's stone. Collectors enjoy the search for all possible
shapes and variations of this beautiful loose gemstone.
