Diopside (Chromium-bearing)

Item Description

A rarely seen Chromium-bearing Diopside specimen that is labeled as coming from "Deo Darrah" in Badakhshan, but I can't find any confirmation of Diopside being found at this locality, as it's pegmatitic, and this Diopside specimen is clearly from a marble deposit. My guess is that it's likely from somewhere like Jungaluk. With that said, the piece features a rather sharp and lustrous partial crystal with rich green colored Diopside measuring 3.5 cm, along with some smaller incomplete Diopsides, on off-white marble matrix. Interestingly, there are some notable blue spots of color on the Diopside, perhaps due to slightly richer concentrations of chromium in certain areas(?), but it's certainly unusual for the species. It should be noted that in the gem world, you might see Chromium-bearing Diopside labeled as "Imperial Diopside", though the name doesn't really appear much in reference to crystallized specimens.
From the collection of Colin Manlove.