Description

Detailed Description

This is a very good-sized crystal from this find (1.9 cm) – most of this size did not have this quality at all. This crystal is lustrous, with good red colour and some colour-zoning, with lighter colour in the termination. In excellent condition, no damage. This crystal interacted with other minerals as it formed, so there are some surface patterns. Fluoresces yellow in short-wave ultraviolet light. Stands perfectly for display as photographed. A great display specimen of red zircon.

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About these Zircon Specimens

These zircons are from a relatively large new find of zircons from Astor Valley, in Pakistan. A locality that has sporadically produced moderate amounts of material in recent years, this recent find produced a large number of pieces. However, fine zircons are proportionally very few. There are two key reasons for this. First, the zircons are enclosed within solid rock with other hard constituent minerals, such that a good number of zircons were broken when they were collected. However, the second reason is the much more prevalent issue based on the material I’ve seen: the zircon crystals seem to have formed more or less contemporaneously with most of the other minerals in the deposit – feldspar, biotite mica, and pyroxene – and as a result, most of the zircon crystals are not fully developed. Instead, most zircon crystal growth was interrupted by the growth of these other minerals, and therefore most zircons are simply incomplete, or malformed. And yet, among well over 1000 pieces I went through from this find, there were a few excellent specimens.