What is Zirconium?

Zirconium is made from the mineral zircon (hence its name).  It is used for a variety of purposes due to its extreme resistance to heat and the fact that it is extremely strong.  Zirconium sits at level 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, which is just below diamonds which are level 10.

Zirconium is also a very malleable and workable metal, making it very useful for the production of jewellery.  Various shapes can be created using this substance by combining a special ceramic powder with different colouring agents and then baking the mixture at extremely high temperatures and subjecting it to high pressure.  The result is a Zirconium coloured stone or ring of the desired hue and shape.

The phrase "Zirconia ceramic" is also used to describe the end product created