Zircon

Zircon

Zircon is a natural mineral and one of the oldest on Earth. It is not cubic zirconia, the synthetic diamond simulant. Its brilliance and fire come closest to diamond among natural coloured stones; blue zircon is usually heated.

  • Blue zirconBlue zircon
  • Red zirconRed zircon
  • Yellow zirconYellow zircon

At a glance

Mineral
Zirconium silicate (natural; not cubic zirconia)
Refractive index
1.93
Dispersion (C–F)
0.022
Specific gravity
4.65
Mohs hardness
6.5–7.5
Wear
Facet edges can wear and chip: better in earrings and pendants, or protected in rings.

Zircon in Jart

The 3 looks in the studio's material library, with the values the renderer uses.

Optics of Zircon in Jart
StoneColourRIDispersion C–FAbbeSGColour depth
Blue zircon#3cb4d81.930.022434.656 mm
Red zircon#d23c481.930.022434.658 mm
Yellow zircon#f0b43a1.930.022434.656 mm

RI refractive index (nd). Dispersion C–F nF − nC, the spread between blue and red light; many gem tables quote the B–G figure instead (diamond 0.044, here 0.025). Abbe number: lower means more fire. SG specific gravity, used for carat estimates in Design Facts. Colour depth the path through the stone after which white light takes the stone's full colour; shorter paths look paler.

How it renders

With a refractive index of 1.93, a polished zircon facet reflects 10.1% of light that meets it face-on (diamond: 17.2%). Light inside the stone that meets a facet more than 31.2° from straight on cannot leave and is reflected back in; the smaller that angle, the more light a good cut returns to the eye (diamond 24.4°, quartz 40.4°).

Its dispersion (C–F) is 0.022, 88% of diamond's, which sets how much fire, the flashes of colour, a render shows under small, bright lights.

Zircon has the highest refractive index and the strongest fire of the coloured stones in the studio, so it sparkles almost like diamond in a render.

  • 1 mm
  • 3 mm
  • 6 mm
  • 10 mm
Blue zircon: the colour of white light after 1, 3, 6 and 10 mm of stone. It takes the full preset colour at 6 mm.
  • 1 mm
  • 3 mm
  • 6 mm
  • 10 mm
Red zircon: the colour of white light after 1, 3, 6 and 10 mm of stone. It takes the full preset colour at 8 mm.
  • 1 mm
  • 3 mm
  • 6 mm
  • 10 mm
Yellow zircon: the colour of white light after 1, 3, 6 and 10 mm of stone. It takes the full preset colour at 6 mm.

All gemstones · Metals · Stone and metal pairings · Finishes

Render zircon on your own design.

Open a 3DM, STL or GLB file, or a sample ring, choose the stone and the metal, and render it photoreal in your browser. No account needed.

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