Where is zircon commonly found?

Zircon is widespread as an accessory mineral in felsic igneous rocks. It also occurs in metamorphic rocks and, fairly often, in detrital deposits. It occurs in beach sands in many parts of the world, particularly Australia, India, Brazil, and Florida, and is a common heavy mineral in sedimentary rocks.

Is zircon the oldest stone?

Zircons, the oldest minerals on Earth, preserve robust records of chemical and isotopic characteristics of the rocks in which they form.

How are zircons formed?

The mineral zircon forms when the elements zirconium, silicon and oxygen crystallize in magma or metamorphic rock. Over time, repeated heating and cooling adds outer layers to the crystal, like successive coats of paint.

Where is zircon found in India?

Reserves/Resources are located in Kerala (81%), Odisha (14%) and Tamil Nadu (5%) [Table-1(B)]. The exploration and development details are given in the review on EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT in “GENERAL REVIEWS”. Production of zircon decreased to 18,437 tonnes in 2015-16 from 18,891 tonnes in the preceding year.

What is zircon worth?

Prices depend on color saturation, clarity and size. Fine saturated blues in sizes over 10 carats are typically $300 to $400 per carat, while high quality stones in the 5 to 10 carat size sell for $200 to $300 per carat.

What is special about zircon?

Originally formed by crystallization from a magma or in metamorphic rocks, zircons are so durable and resistant to chemical attack that they rarely go away. They may survive many geologic events, which can be recorded in rings of additional zircon that grow around the original crystal like tree rings.

Is zircon a diamond?

A cubic zirconia is a real cubic zirconia, but it is not a real diamond. There are a few types of stones that are used as diamond simulants, but cubic zirconia is by far the most common and the most realistic.

Is zircon older than diamonds?

The papers posited that the diamonds formed, somehow, before the oldest zircons — that is, before 4.3 billion years ago — and then were recycled repeatedly over a period of 1.2 billion years during which they were periodically incorporated into the zircons by an unidentified process.

Are zircons radioactive?

Zircon sometimes contains traces of uranium-238, and it can be very slightly radioactive at levels that pose no health risk when used in jewelry.