Zircon To Live For

No you haven't seen it all yet, and here are a pair of pinkies to prove it. Just why do gemstone cutters get so fired up over finding that next great stone?

Well, it's the color, sweetie. Trouble is, you never know what you've got until you cut into one, or polish a window to get a better view inside that rough.

What would you name these rosy-peachy-brownish-pink zircons? How about dreamy? That works.

Some fancy color diamonds have a tendency to turn up in certain areas, and the same is true for colored gemstones. The gravely terrain in East Africa frequently yields colorful zircon crystals, and dealers claim that some regions are more generous in producing highly coveted colors of zircon--like red.

Veteran dealer Roger Dery has been acquiring his rosy red stones there for years now. "The roughs are alluvial and have that 'frosty' appearance which can make it a little dicey to determine whether it will be good for faceting." Looks like he hit pay dirt with these dusky pink stones.

After faceting Dery says, the zircons that still look too dark to be attractive are heated to develop some yummy tones. "The higher the temperature, the lighter the stone," Dery reveals. Think he got it just about perfect with this pair.

Matching pink princess cut zircons, 8.72ctw Courtesy Roger Dery, Spectral Gems