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Yellow zircon
This mineral was also known in the past as jargon
(from th, Persian zargun); the name evolved into the word
zircor now applied to the entire mineral species.
Appearance The color may vary from a rather
pale yei low to canary yellow, gold, or greenish yellow. It
has th~ typical, striking luster of zircon. It is most often
given rround or oval, mixed cut. Like most zircons, it has
delicate brittle edges.
Distinctive features Strong birefringence, easily seer with
a lens, will readily distinguish it from yellow sapphire which
it can resemble, and from recent artificial products such
as YAG and cubic zirconia, which may also be yellow but are
singly refractive.
The brlttleness of the facet edges is also characteristic.
It has the physical properties of high zircon and the absorption
spectrum is normally distinctive.
Occurrence Yellow zircons come mainly from
Sri Lanka and Cambodia, although those from the latter country
are said to be obtained by heat treatment of brown or redbrown
stones.
Value Somewhat modest, lower than that of
the blue and red varieties.
Simulants and synthetics Yellow-colored artificial
products like YAG and cubic zirconia have been marketed very
recently as zircon and, hence, can be spoken of as imitations.
It is not at present manufactured synthetically.
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