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Zircon is a gemstone with a variety of properties, including:

Color

Zircon can be found in many colors, including blue, red, yellow, orange, brown, green, and colorless. The color of zircon is caused by trace amounts of radioactive elements. Colorless and blue zircon are often heat treated to create the desired color.

Hardness

Zircon has a hardness of 7–7.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness.

Luster

Zircon has a high luster and dispersion, also known as "fire". Colorless zircon is known for its brilliance and flashes of multicolored light.

Texture

Zircon can have two types of textures: oscillatory zoning and sector zoning. Oscillatory zoning is fine-scale concentric features, while sector zoning is coarse radial features.

Classification

Gemologists classify zircon into three types: high, intermediate, and low. The classification depends on the amount of radiation-induced damage to the crystal structure.