Coffin cut Cambodian Zircon Sterling Silver Ring

Handmade coffin-cut Cambodian pale blue zircon (0.95ct) sterling silver ring (size 7.5)

Most Cambodian zircons (ZrSiO4) are found in alluvial gravels in the Ratanakiri province. Another locality exists near the Thai-Cambodian border in old ruby mines. Zircon can be found all over the world and are typically brown in color. However, Cambodia is the only place in the world where brown zircon crystals can be heat treated to a lovely pale blue. These originated from volcanism (~700,000 - 2mya) associated with plate tectonic disturbances resulting from the ongoing Himalayan orogeny (~50mya - present). Not to be confused with synthetic cubic zirconia (ZrO2).

I wish to be fully transparent with the materials I utilize for my jewelry, both in grade and ethical sourcing. Tradition dictates and markets to the public what is supposed to be rare and beautiful. However, we all know that beauty belongs to the eye of the beholder and therefore cannot be quantified. The stones I use are "medium-low grade." The mnemonic, color, clarity, cut and carat weight (4Cs) was invented in the 1940s to standardize diamond marketing and appraisal. Color is subjective. Clarity refers to microscopic inclusions within the crystal that may or may not be visible with the naked eye. Cut refers to the precision of the cut and resulting light dispersion. Carat weight is obvious. The 4Cs are only useful if you're looking to invest thousands of dollars on jewelry that you probably wouldn't want to wear on a daily basis. Therefore, the 4Cs are irrelevant here. It is the flaws of natural stones that describe a more fascinating and complex genesis.

Last picture is a photomicrograph of the crystal displaying uniaxial positive interference figures in transmitted conoscopic light using a Nikon Labophot-POL Polarizing microscope.