Honey zircon question

[strmrdr]

http://ajsgems.com/ZHN/ZHN.htm

are these stones "tough" enough for rings or are they better suited for pins and pendants?
I find a ton of information about diamond, Sapphire and Ruby but very little on other stones online.

Thank you
strmrdr

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

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On 11/1/2003 9:48:59 AM strmrdr wrote:











http://ajsgems.com/ZHN/ZHN.htm

are these stones 'tough' enough for rings or are they better suited for pins and pendants?
I find a ton of information about diamond, Sapphire and Ruby but very little on other stones online.

Thank you
strmrdr

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Hey Strmrdr,

Zircon is very brittle and over time will get a frosted appearance to the crown from the sharp facet edges getting small chips all over them and can be prone to cracking and chipping if banged too hard. Zircon can also be heat sensitive. Some varieties of zircons exhibit a characteristic in which the gems color darkens and their luster dulls upon prolonged exposure to sunlight. Because this is a gem variety which is softer it would be more suitable for pendants and pins, but depending on everyday use and care (like with all jewelry) make beautiful stones for rings. Care should always be taken, but the stone is more prone to receive damage worn in rings.....

Honey zircon can range from a light honey color to a brown orange color .Zircon is doubly refractive (A light ray enters the crystal and splits up into two separate rays, making anything observed through the crystal appear as double). Zircon must also be cut in a manner in which its strong double refraction is least noticeable, to prevent it from appearing blurry.

There are a few key sites which have a plethera of information on gemstones and can offer a broad range of knowledge into the less discussed semi-precious varieties.

Here are a couple:

www.yourgemologist.com

www.minerals.net

Hop this helps...../idealbb/images/smilies/appl.gif

 

[strmrdr]

Thank you!

 

[valeria101]

I have a zircon ring. I have had it for about 3 years and worn it occasionally. It is a huge (about 36ct), 'camel-back' cut green stone which always reminds me that this material matches diamond for dispersion. The stone has not been mistreated too much, but normal wear (as a fashion jewel might expect when taken to the opera and diner) did not produce as much as a scratch. High on my shopping list is a yellow zircon and I have seen a few great ones by now around Boston... Among usual jewels, opal and pearls are both significantly more delicate than zircon: after all, the stone is cheap and provides the best sparkle among wearable, semi-precious things (the competing sparklers, such as sphalerite or demantoid or? are either not at all wearable or approaching diamond’s prices anyway...). Well, just my penny-worth of encouragement. By the way, I did deal successfully with AJS in the recent past.

 

[strmrdr]

thanks valeria
I love the color of this one:
http://ajsgems.com/ZHN/ZHN-00012.htm

 

[valeria101]

Looks good to me

And the price is right. Also, finding a good cut in these relatively inexpensive material is quite a rarity. Too bad for the potential... I like these autumn colors too. However, these are not those which get a zircon in the top of it's class. of course, this is just a matter of tradition and rarity, since color should be a mater a choice. Anyway, in case you have not heard this already, red, green and basic yellow (no overtone) and pink get the best prices in zircon. This comment is really for the peace of my mind: now I know I've told you all I believe relevant.

Oh, and one more: recently (2001?) a suite of zircon won one the top cutting awards in the US. I have no better proof that, although not too ubiquitous, this stone has its fair share of fame. If you want, I could look up the site...

 

[strmrdr]

I would be interested in reading about it if it isnt too much trouble finding it.
Thank you for the information computers and electronics I know but gems are a new area for me.
Untill I met my fiancee I never gave them much thought.

As far as rarity goes Id rather have something that looks awesome to me even if everyone else thinks its ugly than the other way around.
Know what I mean?

For example diamond does nothing for me its pretty and all but nothing to get too excited about.
{ will that statement get me booted out of here? }
The typical mall diamond I I2 makes me want to barf and
I havent seen a princess cut diamond I like yet.
The better cut round stones si1 or better are ok....
But to each there own :}


anyway...

My fiancee does like that one though :}
It looks outdoorsey and we both love fall colors.
I got lucky her birthstone is my favorite gem ...Ruby

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

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On 11/1/2003 7:49:55 PM valeria101 wrote:





I have a zircon ring. I have had it for about 3 years and worn it occasionally. It is a huge (about 36ct), 'camel-back' cut green stone which always reminds me that this material matches diamond for dispersion.

Hey Val...Do you have a pic of this ring..It must be a real monster...........

 

[valeria101]

Picture...

Nope, it is in a different city than I right now. But 'monster is a word', the item is about twice my finger! Anyway, I could not refrain to include a sample of zircon colors below, to bad there was no good red lurking around... And, by the way: WWW

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Hey Val...




Here are a couple pictures of some nice reds I found lurking...1st picture shows the stone a little dark and the 2nd stone has some slight orange overtones, but overall nice reds with minimal orange/brown overtones...




BTW...I love lurking on Jeff Graham's site....

 

[valeria101]

Thanks! Where are these coming from? Esp. the first looks fantastic!

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Both are from awesomegems...........

 

[strmrdr]

WoW nice!