1789,1824

Zirconium

• Zirconium minerals are mentioned in the Bible
• jargoon, jacinth, hyacinth, ligure
• although for ligure it’s impossible to say.
• Martin Heinrich Klaproth reduced jargoon
• to zirconium oxide in 1789 and announced
• that he had found a new element, zircon earth or zirconia.
• Humphry Davy failed to reduce the oxide to a metal
• using electrolysis in 1808
• but gave it the name zirconium.
• Jöns Jacob Berzelius heated potassium hexafluorozirconate
• with potassium metal in an iron tube
• to obtain a black powder of impure zirconium.

Atomic number 40

• Beware: Dust or small grains of zirconium
• can ignite on warm days.
• Zirconium oxide is used in strong ceramics
• to resist heat and corrosion.
• Zirconium makes a good radiation shield
• used in nuclear-powered ships and subs.
• Cut cubic zirconium (zirconium oxide)
• resemble diamonds.

Leshem, Liguria

• The seventh stone on the hoshen,
• the breastplate of judgment
• The tribe of Dan, the eagle
• The color of smoke,
• possibly blue or black,
• or dark red, like carbuncle
• The color of sparks in smoke
• The gem named with a lost Hebrew word
• maybe based on a place, also lost