Glacier Ice Jewelry 101

Glacier Ice Jewelry 101 Glacier Ice gems are natural eye-catching stones found in a wide variety of necklaces, rings, and other jewelry pieces. Reminiscent of the blue ice that forms in Alaska’s glaciers, these gems have a natural beauty that appeals to many.

All about Glacier Ice Glaciers form when snow falls, accumulates, and does not melt. Over time, massive amounts of accumulated snow turn to ice, and new layers of snow bury and compress the older layers. The compression of the layers causes the density of the ice below to increase greatly. Glaciers typically take hundreds of years to form.

Because glacial ice is so dense, it takes on a brilliant blue color. The density of the ice causes it to absorb every other color of the spectrum except blue. Visitors to glaciers often comment on the rich blue color of the ice, remarking on its pristine beauty.

The gemstone that most closely resembles the natural blue ice of Alaska’s glaciers is a specific deep blue variety of blue zircon. Stones with this color are known as Glacier Ice™.

Blue Zircon Zircon is a naturally occurring mineral. Zircon crystals typically occur in igneous rocks –rocks formed by the cooling of lava or magma. Zircon is often found with rare earth metals such as uranium and thorium. Zircon crystals are often quite small, measuring in at just a few centimeters in diameter. Large zircon crystals do occur, but they are rare.

Heat is the primary determining factor of zircon’s color. While blue zircons do occur in nature, they do not occur in large enough numbers for the jewelry industry’s needs. Most of the blue zircon you see in jewelry stores was made blue by a manmade heating process. Blue remains the most popular color for zircon jewelry. Other common colors for zircon include green, amber, yellow, and brown.

The jewelry industry is constantly innovating the process of preparing and cutting zircon, creating higher quality blue zircon and other zircon gemstones.

Historically, blue zircon was believed to promote sleep, bring prosperity, and grant luck to its owner. The name “zircon” is of unknown provenance, although some experts believe it is of Arabic or Persian origin.

December Birthstones December birthstones are typically blue in color, with examples being tanzanite, turquoise, or blue topaz. Glacier Ice™ jewelry makes an attention-getting substitute for these stones and works well with a variety of jewelry.

At Alaska Jewelry, you can find glacier ice jewelry as well as other eye-catching pieces of fine jewelry. Alaska Jewelry’s high-quality pieces make memorable gifts that their recipients will cherish.