ShangrilaGems

‘The Best Gems on the Web!’

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SALE REDUCED FROM $160

3.5mm 13.5" White Zircon faceted beads AA Grade ZIR005

Supreme Zircon gemstone beads.  These are more of an ivory color with minimal inclusions making them so beautiful and organic in their appeal.  Zircon is a doubly refractive gemstone with a very high refractive index to start with - which means they sparkle all the more - in fact more so than diamonds due to their double refraction.  (This is explained below) 

We have five lines of these in stock and we also have half lines listed. If you would like to purchase more lines please contact us.

Zircon Explained :      

Zircon is a truly underrated gemstone – with a dispersion close to that of diamond it really sparkles.  Perhaps the very nature and existence of the gem was spoilt by the invention and adoption of the synthetic CZ Cubic Zirconia – a popular diamond stimulant.  It is a superb gemstone and one we are investing in quite heavily – because we think it is so underrated.

Natural Earth mined Zircon is an ancient wonder and modern day marvel, and should never be confused with Cubic Zirconia.  Zircon is an earth mined mineral belonging to the nesosilicates group.

Dating back to antiquity, the name Zircon derived centuries ago from the Syriac word ‘Zargono’, the Arabic and Persian word ‘Zarqun’ literally meaning Vermillion, and ‘Golden colored’ respectively.  Modern day, the name derives from ‘Zirkon’ the German adaption of these words.

The natural color of zircon varies between colorless, yellow-golden, red, brown, blue, and green. Colorless specimens that show gem quality are a popular substitute for Diamond, due to immense luster and clarity.  These specimens are also known as "Matura diamond".

There are several active Zircon mining regions worldwide, including Australia, the Ural Mountains of Russia, South Africa, Madagascar and some northern European countries.  These deposits tend to be relatively small finds and of the less desirable red, yellow, brown and green colorations.  It is noted in the gemological world that sought after blue Zircon is only located in Cambodia and rarely Sri Lanka.

Deep-blue zircon however is never plentiful because it is a one-source gem found mostly, some say only in northwestern Cambodia at Rattanakiri some 40 kilometers from the Cambodian-Vietnamese border. True, zircon is also found in Sri Lanka, but its blues don’t have the bite and bounce of Southeast Asian stones. Indeed, Sri Lanka is noted for zircon colors other than blue.

Although the color of fine Cambodian blue zircon can be likened to that of Paraiba tourmaline, it is probably better, says Philip Zahm, a zircon specialist based in Aptos, California. To compare this gem’s top hues to those of irradiated blue diamond. “Not only do the colors match,” Zahm says, “Zircon has dispersion near enough to that of diamond to add spectral fire and give extra oomph.”

A very popular sought after gemstone sure to impress.

Healing Properties:  Zircon  

Zircon is believed to convey all power resources into an intelligent focus and providing its user both force and self-reliance. It also assists to reveal lies and dishonesty. In the Eastern part, it was thought that Zircon improves psychological faculties, cultivates desire for sciences and awareness of truth, help memory and logical abilities.  These are exceptional stones for gemstone healers.

Refraction, Double refraction and birefringence - what are they?

Some gemstones have more than one refractive index (RI) because these stones belong to crystal systems (anisotropic) that have atomic structures that cause an incident ray of light to be resolved into two rays traveling at different velocities. This difference related to velocities is named "birefringence". When the two rays change their direction of travel (i.e. are refracted) and move in different directions this phenomenon is called "double refraction. The numerical difference between one RI value and the other RI value measured in any one case is called the "birefringence" for that test, and the difference between the highest possible RI and the lowest possible RI considering all possible directions is called the birefringence of the gemstone.

Refraction is when light changes direction as it passes through a surface. Refringence is when light changes velocity as it passes through a surface. Light passing through a surface at the normal may be slowed down without being refracted. Light passing through a surface at an inclination allows the slowing of that light to change the direction of travel, yielding refraction. Birefringent materials slow light to two different velocities (according to each of two mutually perpendicular vibration directions). When light travels into a zircon through the prism face of a crystal, the vibrations are sorted in two and each vibration travels at a different velocity. If the light enters at an oblique angle, each vibration changes direction and travels along paths that differ from the original path AND differ from each other. This is double refraction caused by the birefringence. If the light enters normal to the prism face, each vibration travels at a different velocity, but no refraction occurs. Both vibrations were incident at perpendicular to the wave front so the velocity change does not cause a direction change. In this direction the light experiences zero refraction and maximum birefringence.