History

(Persian zargun: gold like) Zircon, the primary gemstone of zirconium, is also known as jargon, hyacinth, jacinth, or ligure. This mineral, or its variations, is mentioned in biblical writings. The mineral was not known to contain a new element until Klaproth, in 1789, analyzed a jargon from from Ceylon and found a new earth, which Werner named zircon (silex circonius), and Klaproth called Zirkonertz (zirconia). The impure metal was first isolated by Berzelius in 1824 by heating a mixture of potassium and potassium zirconium fluoride in a small decomposition process they developed.

Sources

Zirconium is found in abundance in S-type stars, and has been identified in the sun and meteorites. Analysis of lunar rock samples obtained during the various Apollo missions to the moon show a surprisingly high zirconium oxide content, compared with terrestrial rocks. 
A Periodic Table of the Elements at Los Alamos National Laboratory