Zircon is a stone that comes in a large array of colors. The crystal is often found clear.  Browns and yellows are next most common. The blue and reds are the rarest forms. The color is determined by other elements that were infused in the crystal as it was forming. The thing that is truly outstanding with Zircon is its brilliance. Zircon has the second highest refractive index, which causes the gem to have brilliance and sparkle that nearly equals diamond. This brilliance is both a gift and a curse for this fabulous gem. That internal fire made the gem popular through history. Brown and yellow sapphires were a favorite among the ancient Greeks. The bright blues were cherished and collected although the Victorian age. But then in the 1920s people started to notice the clear variety. It was found that round, faceted stones were almost indistinguishable from their counterpart diamond. From this point on, the clear crystals become a fashionable substitute for diamonds. It was common in the 1940s to have a sapphire or ruby surrounded by natural white Zircons. It was also at the time that diamond mining expanded, and the market started to increase both in terms of demand and prices of diamonds. As diamonds increased in price, Zircon became a cheaper alternative to diamond. Also, as diamond pricing increased, companies were trying to create man-made alternatives to diamonds. In 1976, a man-made simulant that mirrored a natural diamond was created in a lab. The inventors wanted a name that sounded like a natural stone to help market the stone. They called the synthetic stone cubic zirconia. Borrowing part of the name from the natural and historic Zircon. Over time these stones become the common alternative to diamond, and within one generation the name Zircon became confused with the man-made stone. Interesting how the Earth’s oldest known crystal can have its identity taken away by a confusing marketing campaign.