Victorian Pendant with rare Radioactive Green Zircon

If wearing beautiful jewelry makes you feel warm and fuzzy, then you might really be buzzing when you put this pendant on. This charming early-Victorian pendant is almost 200 years old, yet the central Zircon is an ancient gem that is billions of years old! All natural Zircons are old (they are actually used to date samples in geological sites) but Green Zircons like this unusual olive colored gem are particularly fascinating since they derive their color from trace amounts of radiation over an incredibly long period of time. As the gem sits in the Earth’s crust for millions of years it is exposed to natural low-level radiation from the core of the planet. This slight radioactivity changes the color to green, but also makes the stone look a bit silky and hazy, yet totally safe to wear. The Victorian jeweler who crafted this pendant must have been as charmed with it as we are, since they made a hand-crafted setting with amazing detail. The cushion cut Zircon is collet-set, similar to a bezel but with small prongs. It is surrounded by natural Pearls and old mine cut Diamonds (also collet set) in rich silver & gold. This is a beautiful pendant, with an amazing history and elegant look on the neck.