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Chemical Makeup
The chemical formula for zircon is Zr[SiO4], meaning that it is made of zirconium, silicon and oxygen. Zircon's chemical name is zirconium silicate. Zircon is a neosilicate, meaning that it is a silicate mineral that has isolated SiO4 tetrahedra, which are only connected through ionic bonds.
Classification
On the Moh's scale, the relative scale for judging gem hardness (in which diamond rates 10), zircon rates 6.5 to 7.5. Zircon belongs to the tetragonal crystal system, one of the crystal systems used in mineralogy as part of classifying minerals.
Features
When pure, zircon is colorless, but when other chemicals are introduced to it during its formation, zircon can become colored. Some colors are black, yellow, brown, red and pink. Certain colors of zircon may have different names.
History
The name zircon derives from either the Persian for "gold colored" (zargun), or the Arabic for "vermillion" (zarqun).
Function
Zircon is traditionally a December birthstone and is a common diamond alternative in jewelry. It is also used as an abrasive and a refractory, a lining in such items as furnaces and kilns.
Sources
Zircon can be found in North America, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Antarctica.