What is Zircon?
Zircon should not be confused with Cubic Zirconia, which is a man-made simulant of Diamond. Zircon is the oldest mineral on the planet and is found in the Earth’s crust in sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. It is a zirconium silicate and measures 7.5 on the Mohs scale for hardness.
Zircon has been determined to be almost as old as the earth itself and is found in a wide variety of colors and formations.
It is much denser than Diamond and can make very attractive jewelry pieces.
Its value also varies widely, depending on the desirability of the specimens in question.
Some Zircon sparkles and glitters to rival the precious gemstones of Diamon, Ruby, emerald, and Sapphire.
Whilst other Zircons are considered ugly, dull and of no value to the jewelry trade.
The Origin: Where Is Zircon Found?
Zircon occurs throughout the world, which is not surprising considering its age and its prevalence in the earth’s crust. Zircon is mined in Asia, Europe, the USA, and Canada.
The History & Lore of Zircon
The oldest specimen of Zircon came from Jack Hills in Australia and has been identified as being 4.375 billion years old.
There are references to Zircon in the Old Testament where it is mentioned as adorning the breastplate of Aaron.
In Ancient times it was named hyacinth and had many healing uses, including the ability to treat madness and to strengthen the will against temptation.
Blue Zircon has been found in jewelry across the millennia and was especially prized by the Victorians who had a penchant for large, heavy ornate pieces in rings and brooches.
The Ancient Greeks and Romans used Zircon talismans as protection against robbery, lightning, disease, and the threat of physical attack.
During the Middle Ages, the protective qualities of Zircon were said to protect the wearer against evil spirits, black magic, witchcraft, and sorcery.
It was also considered to be a good luck charm to attract both wisdom and wealth.
Description of Zircon
As mentioned above, Cubic Zirconia and Zircon are very different stones, despite the similarity in name.
Cubic Zirconia is used as a Diamond simulant and makes attractive costume jewelry, but it should always be labeled and sold as such.
Clear Zircon does resemble Diamond at times, and good specimens can be mistaken for true Diamonds at times, even by experienced jewelers.
It is translucent to transparent, with a vitreous luster, and has a tetragonal crystalline structure.
How to Identify Zircon
There is no reason why anyone would want to produce fake Zircon, although Zircon can sometimes be used in place of Diamond.
So it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with Zircon’s characteristics before you buy.
You should be able to spot the difference between Cubic Zirconia and true Zircon easily.
Because, like most human-made stones CZ will not appear to have any flaws, inclusions, or imperfections.
The color will be uniform in a CZ stone, and it will not refract the light in any appreciable way.
Types of Zircon
Zircon occurs in a variety of colors, each with a unique set of healing and metaphysical properties.
All varieties of Zircon share the same generic metaphysical qualities (see below) and the most popular colors for jewelry at the moment are blue and pink.
Both of which are achieved through heat-treating brown or yellow Zircon in a lab.
This treatment does not detract from the stone’s authentic qualities.
Red Zircon
Red Zircon lends vitality to the physical body and is good for activating the Base chakra and Kundalini energy,
Brown Zircon
Brown Zircon is a grounding and centering stone that connects the energy body to the Earth Star chakra.
This chakra is located between the feet, about 10com below the surface of the ground, and is responsible for revealing our destiny and life purpose.
Yellow Zircon
Yellow Zircon heightens sexual energy and attracts success in business and love.
It activates and supports the Solar Plexus chakra, allowing for greater self-empowerment.
Orange Zircon
Orange Zircon is said to protect against injury and to bring safety and security to travelers.
It also guards against jealousy and increases beauty.
Zircon Birthstone Meaning & History
Zircon is one of the birthstones for the month of December. It is also one of the traditional birthstones for the zodiac sign of Leo (July 23-Aug 23)
Leo is one of the most extrovert signs of the zodiac, and many Leos are genuinely happy to be the center of attention.
They bask in the admiration and approval of others, and their warm, loving, generous natures encourage others to seek out their company.
Leos have a good sense of fun, and they will often take risks in search of new experiences.
However, their bravado may be only a thin veneer covering feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem.
Zircon makes an ideal gift for a Leo as it excels at integrating the physical with the spiritual.
Zircon can keep an over-active Leo grounded and can help them to undertake a little self-reflection when necessary.
The confidence of Leo can sometimes spill over into an overbearing or arrogant character, which they can be blissfully unaware of until other people start to avoid them!
This is the last thing a Leo wants, and giving a gift of the highly spiritual, intuitive Zircon stone will help to bring things back into balance.
Zircon Treatment
Zircon measures 7.5 on the Mohs scale and is therefore a fairly robust gemstone that will withstand regular wear.
However, it is nowhere near as durable as Diamond and care should be taken to avoid knocks or scratches that may spoil its appearance.
How to Clean and Care for Zircon
Zircon can be cleaned in water, with mild soap if necessary to remove surface dust and debris.
To charge your Zircon stone and restore its original vibration, place it overnight in close proximity to an Amethyst cluster.
The Amethyst absorbs the negative vibrations of the Zircon stone and brings its original vitality and vibration back.
Buyers Guide: Tips & Advice
When shopping for Zircon let common sense and personality prevail.
The Color you choose is entirely up to you, as is the cut and the mount of a particular piece.
Zircon Quality Factors
Color:
Clear, or colorless Zircon is the purest form of this mineral.
It is much rarer than Diamonds but also far less expensive, making it a good choice if you want a clear stone that is not manufactured.
Blue Zircon is much sought-after and can be difficult to find, as can Green Zircon.
Naturally occurring examples of both Blue and Green Zircon are rare, so most of the stones on the market have been heat treated to achieve the necessary color.
Some Zircon stones display pleochroism, meaning that two colors may present themselves in one gem depending on the angle of view.
The most common form of pleochroism is blue and green, which produces an attractive teal color.
Clarity:
Most Zircon on the market has high levels of clarity, and the cut of the stone can enhance this.
It has a vitreous, adamantine, sometimes oily luster and can be transparent or translucent.
Most specimens are eye-clean, although a magnifier may show up flaws and inclusions.
Cut:
Colorless Zircon has a high dispersion and light performance, which can make it appear very similar to Diamonds.
Light performance can be enhanced by faceting, and you may find Zircon stone cut in many different angles.
Emerald step is a popular choice for cutting Zircon, as are ovals and pears.
Carat Weight:
Most Zircons are fairly small, although larger examples do exist. The larger the stone, the higher the price it will command.
Zircon is twice as dense as Diamond, so the carat weight of a Zircon can be much higher than a Diamond of similar size.
Zircon and Chakras
Zircon has such a high spiritual vibration that it can be used on all the chakras to bring them into alignment with one another and with the energy systems of the etheric and physical bodies.
It is both cleansing and rejuvenating, able to disperse blocked energy and replace it with a high vibration of positivity.
Crown Chakra
You can use Zircon on your Crown and Third Eye chakras to help with your spiritual growth and development.
Place pieces of the stone on your brow and the crown of your head before relaxing into deep breathing and meditation.
When your breathing is calm, and your physical body is feeling relaxed.
Take your awareness into the top of your head and visualize a clear, crystal cord reaching up into the sky above you.
This is the channel you will use to connect to your own soul and to the wisdom of the Divine Universe.
As you breathe in, see the white light from Source traveling down the crystal cord and into your head.
If any thoughts intrude, acknowledge them, and let them be.
If you have questions that you would like spirit to answer, formulate them as clearly as you can in your mind and see them moving, as pure energy, up the cord into the heavens.
Relax and accept any messages, signs, symbols, or other communications you may receive.
If you do not understand them immediately do not worry.
Allow them to enter your consciousness and trust that the answers you seek will become clear over the next few hours or days.
Third Eye Chakra
When using Zircon on your Third Eye, you will find that you get better results if you prepare your questions in advance.
The Sanskrit name for this chakra, Anja, translates into English as “perceiving” or “command.”
The Third Eye is responsible for the way you perceive the world and how you see yourself.
In order to function at our best, we need to be self-aware and also to accept that our perception of the outer world has a direct impact on our own emotions, behavior, and interactions.
The Third Eye governs your intuition and wisdom. When it is balanced it enhances your ability to self-reflect and understand the world.
It is an important aspect of the practice of mindfulness. It also governs both logical thinking and creativity.
In the West, we often separate these two concepts, seeing intellect and logic as left-brained activities and creativity and imagination as right-brained.
When you recognize that you are doing this you have the ability to integrate intellect and intuition.
A blocked Third Eye chakra can cause emotional and physical stress.
You may feel anxious and fearful all the time, even when your rational mind knows there is nothing to be afraid of.
In a short space of time, this stress, anxiety, and emotional disturbance can quickly manifest as a physical illness.
For this reason, it is important to keep your Third Eye balanced, open, and working in harmony with your other chakras.
Zircon is an excellent stone for this. Place it on or near your brow.
Zircon earrings are an easy way of keeping the stone close to your Third Eye, or you can simply lie flat and place the gem directly on your forehead.
Allow your face and body to relax and soften.
Take your awareness into the area between your eyes and visualize the energy of the crystal spinning slowly, in ever-increasing circles as your Third Eye opens gently.
Draw in the energies of the Universe, and of the natural world around you.
Let go of judgment and preconceptions, then set a clear intention to allow yourself to self-reflect and to allow your logical, analytical mind to complement and integrate with your intuition, imagination, and creativity.
Zircon Healing Properties
Physical Healing Properties
Zircon is said to be beneficial for muscle cramps, sciatica, insomnia, and vertigo.
It is useful for alleviating cramps and pains associated with the menstrual cycle and also for helping to prevent osteoporosis following menopause.
Zircon is said to aid in detoxing from nicotine, alcohol, and other substances.
It is also believed to act on the pineal gland and prevent nightmares and insomnia.
It is valued as a gemstone for boosting stamina and strength, reducing fevers, and soothing joint or bone pain.
It revitalizes and rejuvenates an exhausted nervous system and can help to restore the body’s natural energy levels after depletion through illness or conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Zircon benefits the lungs and circulatory systems.
Taken internally in the form of a gem elixir, Zircon is helpful in the prevention of flu and seasonal allergies, being both anti-bacterial and anti-viral.
It is said to have a balancing effect on the adrenal glands and to aid in the detoxifying processes carried out by the liver and kidneys.
Mental & Emotional Healing Properties
Zircon balances the emotions and disperses blocked emotional energies.
It is said to help restore a sense of perspective and proportion when times are difficult or challenging and is one of the best crystals to use for mindfulness.
Zircon can help you to focus on the present moment and to cultivate feelings of gratitude and acceptance in your life.
Zircon brings energies of hope and optimism to the darkest of places, and Pink Zircon is especially effective when used to attract an abundance of love into your life.
Place Pink Zircon crystals near your bed, or in the relationship corner of your home, along with Pink Quartz, to give your romantic life a boost.
Wear Zircon pendants to open your Heart chakra to unconditional love on all levels and in all your relationships.
Zircon helps to alleviate feelings of unease and dread. Anxiety is usually the product of negative or fearful thinking.
We get caught up in a cycle of “what ifs?” and soon find ourselves worrying over things that have not happened or are ever likely to happen.
And before we know it, we are suffering panic attacks and severe stress.
Use grounding crystals such as Obsidian and Black tourmaline, along with Zircon, to bring you back to your true center and your true self.
Allow the vibrations of Zircon to travel through your mind and physical body, connecting you to the beneficent, healing energies of Mother Earth.
Zircon helps you to deal with painful emotions such as heartbreak and grief.
It also frees the soul from old, buried hurts or traumas and allows you to let go of their effects.
Metaphysical Properties
Zircon has protective qualities that form a shield around the aura, keeping you safe from psychic attacks and negative vibrations that may upset your equilibrium.
It promotes unconditional love for yourself and others, brings the spiritual and physical into alignment with each other, and forms connections with the spiritual realms through the Third Eye and Crown chakras.
Zircon is a stone of wholeness and oneness.
It reminds us that we are all part of the same entity, that we are important cogs in the wheel of creation, and that we all have our own purpose to fulfill on Earth.
Zircon also has effective harmonizing properties, bringing opposites together and allowing both sides of a situation to be heard and acknowledged.
It is one of the best stones for integrating the spiritual with the physical, both within the human body and in the world outside.
Spiritual Healing Properties
The vibration of Zircon is very high and fine.
It is intensely spiritual in nature and can be used effectively in all kinds of psychic, spiritual, and metaphysical practices to bring the unknown into the known, or conscious, realms.
Zircon helps you to communicate with your soul.
It is often used in Akashic Records work as it is effective in opening up the unconscious mind to allow access to Masters, Teachers, Guides, and Angels.
All of whom can help you to understand the journeys and events your soul has experienced over several incarnations.
It builds a bridge between your Heart and Third Eye chakras to your Soul and facilitates movement between the two points.
How to Use Zircon
As Jewelry
Wearing Zircon as jewelry is an excellent way to keep your spiritual vibration high.
Blue Zircon, worn at the throat or as earrings, stimulates and activates both eh third Eye and the Throat chakras.
In-Home and Office
Because Zircon is relatively inexpensive, it is possible to fill a small vessel with either pieces of raw Zircon, or with small, tumbled stones.
Place these dishes, pots, or baskets around your home or workspace to keep the atmosphere free from negativity and to encourage a higher spiritual vibration to enter your space.
Best Crystal Combinations with Zircon
Blue Lace Agate with Blue Zircon
Combine Blue Lace Agate with Blue Zircon to help with issues of the throat.
This combination can help to soothe physical conditions such as tonsillitis and strep throat.
It is also one of the best ways to support and activate your Throat chakra so that your communication with others is clear and confident.
Citrine and Carnelian with Red or Orange Zircon
For sexual health, combine Red or Orange Zircon with Carnelian and Citrine.
The combined power of the vibration from these stones raises sexual energy, activates Kundalini, and allows a higher, more spiritual energy to enter into sexual relations and experiences.
Final Thoughts & Conclusion
This ancient mineral has many benefits for humans in the 21st Century. It assists in recognizing that you are a spiritual being on a human journey.
It reminds you that this life, with its difficulties and challenges, is nevertheless just a transitory phase in your soul’s evolution.
And that the lessons you learn now will expand your consciousness both in this world and the next.
Zircon promotes trust in the self and in your wisdom, insights, and intuition.
It reminds you to factor in your spiritual health when you are overwhelmed by the material or the intellectual demands of your everyday life.
Zircon is a stone that symbolizes the fundamental oneness of all humanity.
It helps us to recover from prejudice, victimization, misogyny, and discrimination.
It promotes brotherhood and helps us to separate the significant from the unimportant.
