Zircon is a precious stone whose properties come close to those of diamond. It gets the name “zircon” from the Persian word “zargun”, meaning golden stone. Zircon is known as the stone of quiet vibrations. It helps a person achieve healing and peace with themselves. The most popular is the colourless zircon, which cleanses the aura and is worn for protection. It is considered a stone of the sun. It also comes in yellow, orange, red, green, light blue, pink, brown and violet.
Cubic zirconia is a gemstone produced in the lab by crystallisation. Because its crystal structure closely resembles that of diamond, it is widely used as a synthetic substitute. Its properties are also close to diamond's: high hardness (8.5 on the Mohs scale) and high specific gravity (5.6–6). Its refractive index (2.17–2.18) is also close to diamond's (2.417), so the two are hard to tell apart with the naked eye.
