Zircon is a magnificent and underrated natural gemstone that has been worn and adored for centuries. The rainbow of colors and the stone’s double refraction of light makes antique and vintage zircon jewelry and watches especially versatile and attractive for wearers all over the world.
Imagine if you could capture the sky, encircle it with diamonds and hold it in your hand. The magic of blue zircon rings is like that, a piece of sky slipped onto your finger. It isn’t just its sumptuous cerulean blue, with a depth that seems to stretch into forever; or the fact that blue zircon changes color with the sun, growing lighter until it is placed again in darkness; or even that zircon in its many colors is itself nearly as old as the earth, if not the heavens, dating back 4.4 billion years on a planet that is 4.5 billion years old.
Rather, the real splendor of zircon jewelry — zircon rings, necklaces, earrings and other accessories — is its scintillation, its extraordinary sparkle, what Reshma Kothari of Diagem Imports, or DGI, calls its “brilliance and impressive fire, with flames of color that give off a lot of sparkle and shine — more so than other colored stones.” Indeed, notes jeweler Paolo Costagli, “because of its sparkly appearance, zircon lends itself to be worn as a single accessory. If you have a nice large zircon cocktail ring, you don’t need anything else.”
While blue zircons are the most frequently sought after, zircons stand out from most other gems in that, like diamonds, they can be found in several colors, from oranges and yellows to greens to pinks and reds. All except white zircons are lightly heat treated to create or enhance their colors, though nearly all are naturally pleochroic.
Keep in mind that for all its versatility and allure, zircon is not a stone best worn every day. The gem registers 7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, which means that while harder than many other gemstones, it can chip more easily than rubies, sapphires and diamonds.
Find a collection of antique and vintage zircon jewelry and watches on 1stDibs.
