DIOPSIDE

Diopside offers a color range, which usually consists of bottle green, brownish green or light green. Diopside crystals can also be colorless at times. When the diopside gets more richer in iron and poorer in magnesium they go darker in color, almost to black. The extremely bright green diopside is colored by chromium and is known as chrome diopside. The other rare color of violet blue, which is colored by manganese, are found in Italy and the USA. This type of diopside can be called as violane. Gem quality chrome diopside is found in Burma, Pakistan, South Africa and Siberia (Russia). Other places where the diopside is found are Brazil, Madagascar, Austria, Canada and Sri Lanka. Dark green to black diopside, which has a four rayed star has been found in the southern India since 1964.

Crystal Structure: Monoclinic

Hardness: 5.5

Specific Gravity: 3.29

Refractive Index: 1.66-1.72

Colors: Bottle green, brown green, light green, violet blue and dark green to black.

Luster: Vitreous

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