https://external-preview.redd.it/6CUaVuXMKBHYikV2OveWr-OGxLBAaHbxcTayxcIJ440.jpg?auto=webp&s=c44b8f92a36961af137d00e4cb95001ee1c7b958

**What**

Zircon is a zirconium silicate mineral found in small quantities in many rocks. It can be a variety of colours and some crystals are of gemstone quality. Zircon is sometimes confused with the metal zirconium, the zirconium oxide called zirconia, and cubic zirconia, a synthetic gemstone with an appearance that is very similar to diamond.

Blue zircon is found in many pieces of English estate jewellery produced in the 1880s, because it was fashionable at the time. However, during the early 1900s zircon was sometimes used fraudulently as a substitute for diamond so often the gem is thought of as an ‘imitation’ gemstone.

Most natural gem-quality zircons are yellow, red, or brown. Heating and irradiation can be used to produce colourless, blue, green, and many other zircon colours. Blue is the most popular zircon gem colour. Zircon that is faceted for use in jewellery, is mostly without inclusions but they can contain long parallel inclusions that create the cat’s-eye effect when the stone is cut as a cabochon. Zircons are typically cut using the brilliant style, but there is also the zircon cut, which has eight extra facets around the lower part of the gem.

In the Middle Ages, zircon was believed to have the power to do everything from banishing evil to inducing restful sleep.

As is the case of some other gemstones, zircon was saddled with a name that is more clinical than romantic. Different names have been applied to the stone, often about the color, such as hyacinth and jacinth. Starlight was a turn-of-the-century attempt by gemstone legend and Tiffany & Co. stone buyer George Fredrick Kunz to romanticize the stone’s name. While Tiffany had great success in other efforts, las with Tanzanite (zoisite), Starlight never caught on.

**Why**

Zircon has double refraction. Closest competitor diamond has single refraction.

Zircon is the oldest gemstone on Earth. Diamond is geologically immature.

Blue zircon is extremely rare. Diamond is abundant as common carbon.

The majority of Blue zircon mines were recently closed by the Cambodian Government.

**How**

Other stones in the past that have been ‘re-discovered’ have had their value rise rapidly, in a relatively short period. A good example is Tanzanite.When Tanzanite was first discovered in the late 1960’s it was controlled by Tiffany & Company who gave it its name and were the first true marketers of the gemstone. Prices were high as Tiffany commanded a monopoly and supply out of the fledgling mines was low and sporadic.

In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s as Tanzania adopted a capitalist economy, production stabilized and rose leading to a drop in prices further compounded in 2001 when the stone was implicated as a funding source to Al Qaeda in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy. Large retailers like Zales announced they were no longer going to sell Tanzanite and others followed suit leading to a catastrophic decline in prices.

From 2002 to 2007 prices surged. From lows of $200 per carat for medium to medium/fine goods they rose to the heady heights of $600+ per carat

China’s recent foray into the market and growing demand for Tanzanite in that country is a wild card that could affect the price trajectory in coming years.

[Link to Tanzanite chart.](https://www.theraregemstonecompany.com/images/upload/articles/Tanzanite%20Prices%20Value.jpg)

\*\*My personal opinion only.\*\*
There is only a tiny amount of blue zircon on the free market. There is an even smaller amount coming into the market to replenish, with that amount getting lesser by the week.

Even if the resource is not well known, the price could easily spike 10 or 100x possibly even 1000x purely through lack of supply and a minor increase in demand.

In China, Zircon is known as Thai Diamonds (Not Thai, not Diamonds). The government there is attempting to move their population away from Western diamonds, towards Zircon; in part to help their very close ally Cambodia, as an apology for shutting down their major source of foreign reserves in Sihanoukville.

I have been buying up enough over the previous months to already make a noticeable impact on price and supply. I suspect that even if a few more join in on the buying, the supply will disappear, the media will pick up on it, potentially making zircons the rarest gemstones on the market.

Further information:[https://youtu.be/ql3HPTC\_HyI](https://youtu.be/ql3HPTC_HyI)

Note: I also like the fact that a blue gemstone is already a defacto symbol of our group.I am no longer diamond hands. I am zircon hands.

[Appendix A](https://ibb.co/QMwfhw8): What I consider to be a realistic market prices when taking the above into consideration.

[Appendix B:](https://www.gemrockauctions.com/auctions/zircon/) Current average market prices.

[Appendix C:](https://www.palagems.com/kunz-reminiscences1) More info on George Kunz, who attempted the same trading strategy more than 100 years ago.

Using the power of [memes](https://ibb.co/v1bC0mD), I hope we can continue what George started.

For George!

View Reddit by shopperdocket – View Source

LEARN ABOUT: Investing During Inflation

REVEALED: Best Investment During Inflation

HOW TO INVEST IN GOLD: Gold IRA Investing

HOW TO INVEST IN SILVER: Silver IRA Investing