Long valued for its brilliance, zircon is a natural and affordable beauty. Often confused with cubic zirconia, a synthetic diamond substitute, zircon remains unfamiliar to many buyers. However, with colors spanning the rainbow and colorless stones that outshine even mid-grade diamonds, this December birthstone makes an excellent addition to any jewelry collection.

Zircon Buying and the Four Cs

The IGS zircon value listing gives price guidelines for top color red, blue, green, and gold gems, as well as other colors and blue cat’s eye zircons.

Color

Since zircons come in all colors of the rainbow, jewelry buyers and gem collectors have many options.

Blue

Blue zircons are the most popular, and their prices reflect this trend. Occasionally called starlite or stremlite, blue hues are almost always the result of heat treatment, which creates a stable color. Blue zircons often have strong green components that give the stone a unique hue. Fine blue zircons exhibit strong green hues and medium tones.

Green

Extremely rare green zircons are a collector’s item. Most green zircons have brownish hues and may have a khaki color. Bright green gems are extremely rare and are the top color for green zircons. Heat treatment…