The Curator's Journal

The Zing of Zircon, Part 6: Terrestrial Timepieces

Because zircon crystals often contain impurities of radioactive isotopes, zircon has been an important material used in the development of radiometric dating techniques, and it continues to partici...

The Zing of Zircon, part 5: Fable, Formation, and Function

Zircon has been treasured as a gemstone since ancient times. Evidence of zircon’s early use can be found in the Old Testament of the Judeo-Christian Bible, where the stone known as “jacinth” is lis...

The Zing of Zircon, Part 4: The Curse of Cubic Zirconia

In the history of gemstone jewellery, white zircon gemstones were long used as diamond simulants because of their striking resemblance to diamonds, with the untrained eye having virtually no way to...

The Zing of Zircon, Part 3: Types and Treatments

It is common for certain colours of zircon gemstone to be subjected to high temperature treatment as a means of enhancing their apparent hue, usually bringing low and intermediate type zircons into...

The Zing of Zircon, Part 2: Curious Character and Causes of Colour

Zircon is somewhat unique among gemstones in that it occurs with a wide range of variable properties, namely its refractive index, birefringence, specific gravity, and mohs hardness. This variation...

The Zing of Zircon, Part 1: A Jaunty Jewel

Species Zircon Chemical Formula ZrSiO4 Mohs Hardness 6 - 7.5 Cleavage Indistinct Lustre Vitreous to Adamantine Refractive Index 1.78 - 2.01 Birefringence ...

The Perfection of Peridot, part 5: The Tale of Topazios

The written history of peridot gemstones begins sometime during the 5th Century B.C.E. when the ancient Egyptians are thought to have first discovered an island in the Red Sea which eventually beca...

The Perfection of Peridot, part 4: Provenance and Pedigree

Although peridot is found all over the world, there are some locations which produce stones in significantly higher quantities and yield significantly larger crystals than the rest. For a time, pla...

The Perfection of Peridot, part 3: A Joy Among Jewels

Peridot is a wonderful stone to use in bespoke jewellery designs due to both its colour and reasonable availability. Although the rapid weathering of olivine makes large high quality peridot gems ...

The Perfection of Peridot, part 2: A Nuanced Name

The history of peridot’s nomenclature is even more complex than its current labelling. In the 18th Century, the mineral now known as “topaz” was officially given its name by Western scientists. Thi...