Orange Zircon is a highly brilliant, dense gemstone favored by collectors for its high refractive index and intense adamantine luster. It is typically found in alluvial gem gravels as well-formed tetragonal prisms, often displaying a warm, vibrant hue that can be enhanced by heat treatment.
Is this orange zircon?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch orange zircon with a known reference. Orange Zircon sits at Mohs 7.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Orange Zircon leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Orange Zircon typically shows a adamantine luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: orange, reddish-orange, brownish-orange.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals with pyramidal terminations.
Often confused with
Orange Zircon vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Luster reads adamantine on Orange Zircon and vitreous on Spessartine Garnet.
How to tell apart: Luster reads adamantine on Orange Zircon and vitreous on Topaz.
How to tell apart: Luster reads adamantine on Orange Zircon and vitreous on Citrine.
Often found alongside orange zircon
Minerals reported to co-occur with orange zircon. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- ZrSiO₄
- Mohs hardness
- 7.5
- Density
- 4.6-4.7 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Adamantine
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals with Pyramidal Terminations
- Cleavage
- Poor
- Fluorescence
- Bright Orange to Yellow Under SW UV
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Gemstone, Collector
- Host rock
- Pegmatites, Granites, And Alluvial Placer Deposits
- Typical price
- $50-500 per carat depending on clarity and color saturation
Where rockhounds find orange zircon
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Sri Lanka
- Tanzania
- Madagascar
- Cambodia
- Myanmar
Field-hunting tip
Look in pegmatites, granites, and alluvial placer deposits country, the host setting where orange zircon typically forms. If you start seeing corundum, spinel, ilmenite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals with pyramidal terminations habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in South Carolina. Start trip planning there.
More orange zircon photos
Common questions
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Find orange zircon on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
