Zircon

Zircon is the birthstone for December. With a dispersion (color play) nearly as high as that of diamond , this is truly one of the most beautiful of all gemstones. The color range includes various shades of blue and green, orange, yellow, pink, red, beige, and brown - in short, nearly every color of the rainbow!

Colorless zircons are so like diamonds in appearance that, for many years, these lovely gems were sold commercially as diamond simulants. Unfortunately, this created in the public mind the idea that zircon is an "artificial" stone. The gem-buying public has therefore overlooked zircon in all its wonderful colors, and demand for the stone is quite low. Zircon prices are also correspondingly low.

The best zircons are found in Cambodia, a nation beset by political troubles and surrounded by hostile enemies. Some zircon is also found in Sri Lanka, Australia, Africa and Burma, but the total supply is extremely limited. Richly colored zircons over 10 carats, especially fine blue, orange and pink hues, are extremely rare. Yet these stones are modestly priced because of current lack of demand. The beauty, rarity, low price and image as a birthstone all hint at the potential of zircon as a constituent of investment gemstone portfolios.