Purple Zircon

Purple Zircon is a Gem currently residing in The Tower on Mars.

## Appearance

In stature, Purple Zircon is similar to other Gems of her type. That is, she is about as tall as a Pearl, with an oblong head, a pointed nose, no visible lips, and a thin body. Her skin is a dark shade of purple. Her hair is lavender and close along her head and neck, except for a tuft on the front. Her outfit is simplistic, being almost entirely a light purple, with wide sleeves and pant legs. She also wears a triangular shawl of the same color with deep purple accents, deep purple shoes, and a pale pinkish-purple collar and bowtie. Her midriff is exposed to fully reveal her Gemstone on her navel. She wears large, round, transparent purple glasses.

## Personality

Purple Zircon has lost all faith in the Diamond Authority and the system they set up, due to her experiences on Mars. However, these experiences also left her feeling completely powerless. Thus, rather than question or protest, she is far more likely to submit and hide how she truly feels.

## History

Purple Zircon's life before the Rebellion, if she existed at all, isn't known. During the war, she was sent to Mars to defend captured rebels, alongside another Zircon that would take up the prosecution. Her situation caused her to develop a sympathy for the Crystal Gems, though she never seriously considered joining them. She was able to persuade the judge to spare many of the defendants. However, this, combined with the judge's strong bias, simply meant that most of the Gems were sent to be "deprogrammed" by a Howlite rather than shattered. This left the Zircon questioning the validity of her own purpose, and it was only made worse when the entire star system was suddenly abandoned, making her obsolete. She now acts as a bookkeeper, managing the Tower's records.

## Abilities

As an Era 1 Gem, Purple Zircon has standard Gem abilities, such as bubbling, regeneration, and agelessness.

### Skillset

* **Keen Intellect:** As a Zircon, Purple Zircon displays a sharp mind. During the Rebellion, she was able to use logical arguments to defend many of the rebels she was assigned to.
* **Rhetoric:** Purple Zircon is a master of rhetoric, able to convince Blue Goldstone to deliver a not-guilty verdict to many of her defendants in the courtroom.

### Unique Abilities

* **Hologram Projection:** An ability typical of her Gem type, Purple Zircon can project holograms and holographic screens from her glasses without any technological assistance.

## Relationships

### Blue Goldstone

Outside of receiving orders and sharing records, Purple Zircon is not on speaking terms with Blue Goldstone. She bears a strong grudge against the elite, but does her best to hide it, especially when in her presence. She is also convinced that the Goldstone is directly responsible for Jacinth's disappearance, but has no evidence to back this so remains quiet about it.

### Martian Loyalists

Purple Zircon does not swear loyalty to her own faction; however, her defeatism leaves her convinced that deserting or betraying the group will only bring her misery. Instead, she begrudgingly, though passively, follows along with the Martian Loyalists.

### Jacinth

Purple Zircon and Jacinth were well-acquainted; the two would banter and have friendly debates when they had spare time. As the trials continued, however, they began to grow distant due to how strongly Purple Zircon was being affected by them. Despite this and Jacinth's disappearance, Purple Zircon still worries about the fellow Zircon, and hopes that she is doing well, wherever she may be.

## Trivia

* If Purple Zircon fused with Jacinth, they would form an Imperial Zircon. This fusion would technically be a same-Gem fusion, and therefore have no extra limbs or eyes.
* Purple Zircon was created partly because the creators of the Mars AU noticed a lack of purple-colored Gems.
	+ Prior to Purple Zircon being added, the only purple Gems were Lavender Pearl, Purple Star Sapphire, and Mojave Turquoise.

## Gemology

Gemstone Information

* Zircon is a mineral consisting of zirconium silicate (ZrSiO4). It is part of a mineral class named after it.
	+ Zircon comes in virtually every color imaginable. Purple zircon is somewhat rare, but colorless zircon is the most valuable due to its resemblance to a colorless diamond.
	+ The name "zircon" is believed to come from the Persian word "zargun," which means "gold-colored"; yellow is one of the most common colors for zircon.
* Zircon has a hardness of 7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, and has been historically used as a natural diamond simulant.
	+ This, in addition to its name and chemical composition, causes many people to confuse it with the synthetic gemstone cubic zirconia (ZrO2)
* Zircon is the traditional birthstone for December.
* Metaphysically, zircon is believed to improve self-confidence and promote compassion.
* In the middle ages, zircon was believed to bring prosperity and wisdom, as well as help with sleep.