Blue Zircon Where?

[katebar]

I feel the blues coming on and in a new blue project

. I love the brightness of blue zircons and want something 1-2 cts. I spoken with Gene but alas he has nothing of the size. Any other ideas or substitute blue stones for a RHR ring?

 

[MakingTheGrade]

The gem trader has some

http://www.thegemtrader.com/Gems%20TZ%20Page%204.htm

Did you have a specific shape in mind?

 

[blithesome71]

How ''bout this one from mastercutgems: http://www.mastercutgems.com/preview.php?cat=265&id=5550

...it says there it''s Unheated Natural Blue Zircon from Cambodia. Thought you might wanna check it out.

 

[morecarats]

Date: 10/11/2009 1:05:34 AM
Author: blithesome71
How ''bout this one from mastercutgems: http://www.mastercutgems.com/preview.php?cat=265&id=5550

...it says there it''s Unheated Natural Blue Zircon from Cambodia. Thought you might wanna check it out.

I handle a lot of Cambodian blue zircon. I wouldn''t claim to be the world''s authority on it, but my understanding is that all blue zircon is created by heat-treating brown zircon. Only some of the brown zircon will turn blue when heated, mostly some of the Cambodian material (but possibly some from Africa as well).

I did a search on the internet to see if I could find some certified unheated blue zircon from a reputable dealer. I couldn''t find any. I did find this blue zircon from Palagems, which they describe as "one of the finest Pala has ever had." It is heated Cambodian material. You can check it out here:

http://www.palagems.com/php/db_search.php?action=gemdetail&inventory_number=11628

I would be interested to hear from other dealers who have had any blue zircon certified as unheated. Please include the name of the lab that did the testing.

By the way, mastercutgems lists the origin of the alleged unheated blue zircon as "CAMBODIA, VIETNAM." Well, at least he''s precise about the treatment ...

 

[katebar]

Thanks makingthegrade. Round or oval shapes I''m after

 

[katebar]

Thanks blithesome71 it looks lovely but I''m a sceptical with Vietnam Cambodia thing

 

[katebar]

morecarats Gene said blue zircon is very hard to get. Palagems one looks gorgeous but sadly can''t see the price

 

[morecarats]

Date: 10/11/2009 3:05:18 AM
Author: katebar
morecarats Gene said blue zircon is very hard to get. Palagems one looks gorgeous but sadly can''t see the price

Blue zircon is quite easy to find in Thailand. All the Cambodian material comes here for heating and cutting. The last I looked we had about 150 pieces in stock. Try any of the well-known Thai dealers and you''ll be able to find a good selection. Prices usually range about $15-50 a carat, depending on size.

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

Date: 10/11/2009 3:15:11 AM
Author: morecarats

Date: 10/11/2009 3:05:18 AM
Author: katebar
morecarats Gene said blue zircon is very hard to get. Palagems one looks gorgeous but sadly can''t see the price

Blue zircon is quite easy to find in Thailand. All the Cambodian material comes here for heating and cutting. The last I looked we had about 150 pieces in stock. Try any of the well-known Thai dealers and you''ll be able to find a good selection. Prices usually range about $15-50 a carat, depending on size.

Could you please post a list of websites of the well known thai dealers? Or could someone in this thread?
Do any of those dealers have access to stones with concave faceting? Optique? Other high brilliance cuts?

 

[Fly Girl]

Richard Homer has this concave cut beauty available. Link He writes:

"Beautiful Caribbean blue color with diamond-like brilliance as only I can impart with my concave design!"

Sounds awesome!

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

Date: 10/11/2009 6:36:04 PM
Author: Fly Girl
Richard Homer has this concave cut beauty available. Link He writes:

''Beautiful Caribbean blue color with diamond-like brilliance as only I can impart with my concave design!''

Sounds awesome!

Yes Richard Homer is great I am looking to purchase from him a suite of aquamarines.
What I was looking for was to see some of stuff found in thailand, the types of cuts available and the prices.

 

[chrono]

All the blue zircons I have seen online and in person are heated, so I’m with MoreCarats about finding out from Dana about the lack of treatment of that blue zircon if you like that stone. AJS seems to have quite a few blue zircons.

 

[morecarats]

Since heat can turn some (some) brown zircon blue, it is possible that this process could happen in nature. Natural unheated blue zircon might exist. But a dealer who claims he has unheated blue zircon needs to understand that this is quite a strong claim that needs equally strong verification. It''s like if I offered you some natural untreated blue topaz. Such a thing is known to exist, but virtually all the blue topaz in the market has been irradiated and heated to turn it blue. So you would naturally be skeptical about my claim, and the burden would be on me to provide substantial evidence. The answer that "it''s been tested as unheated" is not quite good enough ... one needs to know more. Dealers put their reputation on the line when they make claims like this.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

GemWow has several nice blue zircons.

I would also contact David of TipTopGems. He sold me my emerald cut light blue zircon as well as many other stones and I have always been very pleased. I don''t think he has any up at the moment, but he had a lovely pair a little while ago. Send him an email, for he may have some tucked away.

Multicolour.com also has a nice selection (including a gorgeous $2k blue zircon and a lot of cheapies).

Selectgem.com has a nice 2.09ct blue, but I would also drop Jason a line as he often has additional inventory that is not on his website.

 

[katebar]

Date: 10/11/2009 6:36:04 PM
Author: Fly Girl
Richard Homer has this concave cut beauty available. Link He writes:

''Beautiful Caribbean blue color with diamond-like brilliance as only I can impart with my concave design!''

Sounds awesome!

Thanks Fly Girl this looks lovely!

 

[katebar]

Date: 10/12/2009 8:34:31 AM
Author: Chrono
All the blue zircons I have seen online and in person are heated, so I’m with MoreCarats about finding out from Dana about the lack of treatment of that blue zircon if you like that stone. AJS seems to have quite a few blue zircons.

Thanks Chrono I know it will be heated so thats ok. Can you beszel zicon?

 

[katebar]

Thanks lady disdain will do!

 

[katebar]

Date: 10/11/2009 10:22:58 AM
Author: ChunkyCushionLover

Date: 10/11/2009 3:15:11 AM
Author: morecarats

Date: 10/11/2009 3:05:18 AM
Author: katebar
morecarats Gene said blue zircon is very hard to get. Palagems one looks gorgeous but sadly can''t see the price

Blue zircon is quite easy to find in Thailand. All the Cambodian material comes here for heating and cutting. The last I looked we had about 150 pieces in stock. Try any of the well-known Thai dealers and you''ll be able to find a good selection. Prices usually range about $15-50 a carat, depending on size.

Could you please post a list of websites of the well known thai dealers? Or could someone in this thread?
Do any of those dealers have access to stones with concave faceting? Optique? Other high brilliance cuts?

CC I have asked Sally of Heart of Water in Thailand to look into finding me one.

 

[SB621]

Peter has a pretty one on his website that I have been looking at.


http://torraca.net/gems/gems.php?spec=Zir

 

[chrono]

It is possible for an extremely experienced bench person to bezel set a zircon but he/she may be unwilling to risk damaging the stone. I would play it safe and have it prong set.

 

[katebar]

Thanks Sarah bear and Chrono. Peter''s stone is lovely but why is it not recomended for a ring?
Sally at Heart of Water can get blue zircons from she says the best Thai dealers. I will maybe have to rething the blue! It is a RHR which i would wear for a few hours but i don''t want something that will not wear well.

 

[Arcadian]

If you were going to have sally set it, you''d probably be fine also, as she''s in Thailand she could no doubt get very nice zircon for you. zircon can be brittle so knocking it around as an every day ring is kind of a no no. Some sites say its because of the heating. Don''t know if thats true but from personal experience I''ve had one shatter with a very unfortunate but well placed knock.

You should be fine if you''re wearing a few hours a day, though IMO it would be best if you keep it in rotation with other rings.


-A

 

[chrono]

A couple hours of wear as a RHR is fine for a zircon. It’s just that zircon’s crisp faceting wears down pretty easily and quickly but as something that is worn occasionally, it shouldn’t be an issue.

 

[morecarats]

Date: 10/13/2009 5:42:09 PM
Author: Arcadian
If you were going to have sally set it, you''d probably be fine also, as she''s in Thailand she could no doubt get very nice zircon for you. zircon can be brittle so knocking it around as an every day ring is kind of a no no. Some sites say its because of the heating. Don''t know if thats true but from personal experience I''ve had one shatter with a very unfortunate but well placed knock.

You should be fine if you''re wearing a few hours a day, though IMO it would be best if you keep it in rotation with other rings.


-A

The brittleness of zircon is not due to heat treatment. The unheated orange and rose zircons are just as brittle, with a tendency to wear along facet edges.

Blue zircon is usually not heated to as high a temperature as sapphire or ruby. I''ve heard speculation that high temperature heating can affect the durability of gemstones, but haven''t seen a scientific study that examines the claim. If you think about the high temperatures and pressures that gemstones were subject to in nature during their formation, they have probably already survived the worst they will see.

 

[Arcadian]

Thanks morecarats for clarification of that.

-A

 

[jstarfireb]

How about this one? Just shy of 1ct, and a fabulous price!

http://www.diamondexpert.com/diamonds/dbs.cgi?sf=detg.setup.cgi&active=active&stock=Z00098&submit_search=1

 

[Stone Hunter]

Date: 10/14/2009 8:09:57 AM
Author: Chrono
A couple hours of wear as a RHR is fine for a zircon. It’s just that zircon’s crisp faceting wears down pretty easily and quickly but as something that is worn occasionally, it shouldn’t be an issue.

It is the facet wear issue that has turned me off of zircons, I''ve seen worn facets. But maybe you''d wear it a few hours a week and be happy with that?

 

[chrono]

Date: 10/14/2009 10:04:48 PM
Author: Stone Hunter
It is the facet wear issue that has turned me off of zircons, I''ve seen worn facets. But maybe you''d wear it a few hours a week and be happy with that?

Yup, that’s the same reason why I haven’t set my Richard Homer concave cut blue zircon. It is incredibly beautiful but I want it to maintain its crispness.

 

[Deia]

I asked Sally if she would be willing to bezel my zircon and she said she had no issue working with softer gemstones. Obviously the risk is there so it's just a matter of whether you're willing to take it I guess

I'm not sure what to do with mine, I am becoming more and more skeptical about setting it though because there seem to be too many things that can go wrong with wearing it...

 

[Kismet]

I bezeled my orangy zircon (well, not literally me... Michael E. took care of all the heavy lifting) and I wear it all the time. With my naked eye I can''t tell if the facets are abraded or not. I haven''t checked it out through a loupe.