Zircon
A natural gemstone with unusually high fire and brilliance. Confusingly similar in name to cubic zirconia, which is a different, man-made material.
Zircon is a genuine mineral, zirconium silicate, and has been used in jewellery for centuries. Blue zircon is the best known colour, produced by heating brown material.
Its dispersion is high enough that a well-cut colourless zircon was the standard diamond substitute long before cubic zirconia existed.
It is also doubly refractive, so facet edges look slightly doubled through the crown, which is a quick way to tell it from both diamond and cubic zirconia.
What you will hear
“Zircon and cubic zirconia are the same thing.”
In fact: Zircon is a natural mineral. Cubic zirconia is a synthetic made in a laboratory. The names sound alike and the materials are unrelated.
When you are buying
In Indian listings zircon usually means cubic zirconia, not the natural stone. If you are paying gemstone prices, ask which one is meant and get it in writing.
Pearls with zircon
35 pieces in the collection right now, from ₹1,000.
Cute Pearl Studs in leaf like Zircon Stones
Trendy Pearl Necklace in Pearls and Rose Quartz
Pretty Peach Pearl Necklace With Zircon Roundels
Delicate White Pearl Necklace With A Cute Zircon Studded Flower As Pendant
Beautiful White Pearl Necklace With Knot Shaped Zircon Pendant
Pearl necklace set in temple styled zircon pendant
Beautiful White Semi-Round Pearl Necklace With Oval Shaped Zircon Pendant
Exquisite White Pearl Necklace With Lustrous Zircon & Black Onyx Pendant
Cubic Zirconia
A hard, brilliant lab-made stone used as a diamond substitute. Called American diamond throughout the Indian trade.
Moissanite
A lab-grown stone that is harder and more fiery than cubic zirconia, and much cheaper than diamond.
Diamond
Crystallised carbon, the hardest natural material. Heera in Hindi, and graded on the four Cs.
Gemstone
Any mineral or organic material cut for jewellery. Traditionally split into precious (diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald) and semi-precious.