Diopside (chromium-bearing)

Item Description

When you hear someone mention "Chrome Diopside", it's almost certain they're talking about the famous stones from Inagli, Russia. This locality has produced not only the finest quality, but the most celebrated examples of the material ever found. There are a good number of localities in the world where rich green chromium-bearing Diopside is found, but the Inagli pieces are special because many of them are completely transparent. The intense color combined with the optic clarity make these gems special, and they truly should be celebrated for their beauty and rarity in nature. Keep in mind that the only worthwhile rough comes from this locality (which has a shortened mining season due to the tremendous amount of annual snowfall), and the large percentage of the stones on the market are less than 1 carat. This stone is a fantastic, good sized, deep green color, slightly included "Oval" cut gemstone of Chrome Diopside. It is very very difficult to find this material in clean stones and inclusions are accepted by most collectors and dealers, so not only does this stone have excellent clarity, but it is a great collector's gem because it's over 1 carat.