Zircon - soft/hard?

[hoofbeats95]

Can someone tell me about Zircon? Is it appropriate for a ring? Can most jewelers set it? TIA!

 

[cellentani]

I think it has a hardness of 7.5, but Gene''s site says 6-7.5. I think it would be fine for an occasional ring, great for pendant or earrings. It has a higher RI, so it should be pretty sparkly if cut decently. How big is your zircon, again?

 

[hoofbeats95]

7.5mm

I guess i could do a necklace. But I''m so much more of a ring person. Occasional wear is fine with me. Is it easy to set?

 

[T L]

I would only use an experienced benchperson that is familiar with colored gems, and doesn''t only set diamonds, rubies and sapphires.

 

[Barrett]

Zircon is a very under appreciated stone. You get more for your money than just about every other stone out there.

 

[chrono]

Zircon is fine for an occasional wear ring with care. I would only trust setting it with an experienced benchperson who is skilled with other types of gemstones.

 

[ma re]

I think it goes without saying that delicate solitaire prong settings are not the best idea for zircons as is doesen''t take too much to chip them. But neither is a bezel, as the process puts quite a lot of stress on the stone. A halo around it (on the same height) might not be a bad idea.

 

[cellentani]

It seems like a lot of sources rate the hardness of zircon at 7.5 - isn''t that about the same as a garnet? We wouldn''t necessarily recommend either to be put in a ring to be worn every day, but we don''t seem to shy away from bezeling or prong-setting garnets either. Yet we seem to be much more cautious about zircon - and I''m not trying to point to other posters, because I myself have that same sense. On Gene''s site, he rates zircon at 6 - 7.5, and I''m assuming that it depends on where the zircon is from, but I''m not certain of that. Are there other issues that factor into the sensitive handling of zircon - somthing like cleavage, etc?

 

[ma re]

Date: 6/17/2009 11:07:47 PM
Author: cellentani

Are there other issues that factor into the sensitive handling of zircon - somthing like cleavage, etc?

From what I know it has cleavage in two directions, but not anything like a perfect one. However, hardness is just one factor of durability as there are things like toughness, which also impact wearability, just like heat-sensitivity that some stones exhibit. That''s why some stones of the same, or even lower, hardness can be more durable than others (example, jadeite vs. opal or cat''s eye vs. topaz).

 

[soberguy]

Unheated Zircon can be quite stable from what I have read, whereas heated can be somewhat brittle... Am I right?

 

[ma re]

I read that all zircons are somewhat brittle (more than most stones), but heated ones are even more so - but I could be wrong.

 

[PrecisionGem]

I don''t think heating them makes them any more or less brittle. Heating zircon is done at a vary low temperature.
Zircon hardness varies depending on which axis you are looking at. When cutting a zircon, one side will cut very quickly and feel soft, then 90 degrees around the stone and it''s very hard, and cuts slowly like a sapphire. This makes cutting them a bit tricky, as the tendency is to over cut the softer side.
As with any stone, it all depends on how you wear it, and how hard you are on things. I have a watch that is 10 years old, wear it all the time, and there are no scratches on the crystal at all. I have seen people with watches just a few months old that are all scratched up.