Gem Quiz

I Am of Interest to National Security, But Probably Not that Many Jewelers. Who Am I?

I share much with cubic zirconia, except the refraction.

Published

5 months ago

July 9, 2023

INSTORE Staff

DISCOVERED IN THE hills of Sri Lanka in 1892, I didn’t attract much interest from anyone until the arrival of the nuclear age (I am one of two sources of zirconium, a structural component of nuclear reactors). Gem collectors like me, but from a jeweler’s point of view, I probably just have trivia value: I am the natural form of cubic zirconia. While our chemistry is identical, we actually don’t look much alike. CZ is a bright, highly refractive material, while I am usually opaque. It’s due to the different ways we crystallize.

Who am I?

Why This Jeweler Chose Wilkerson

Mark Lauer is the owner of Mark Michael Diamond Designs, the Minnesota-based jewelry gallery known for exceptional and uniquely designed diamond jewelry. Though he loved creating the beautiful jewelry his business was known for, retirement was an exciting alternative to the 60+ hours a week he’d spent building it up. He called Wilkerson to help with a retirement sale. “I did talk to two other companies, but I just didn’t feel they offered the same services that Wilkerson did,” he says. “I knew Wilkerson had the expertise to follow through and give me the service and results that I wanted. They’re the number one rock stars in this industry.”