Chrome diopside, a new gemstone variety on the gem market, is the gemstone variety of diopside that is colored by chromium. Chrome diopside has been praised as the sister stone of emerald for its crystal clear quality and emerald green color.
[Introduction]
Category: Silicate Minerals
Chemical formula: (Ca,Cr)MgSi2O6
Color: green, emerald green to dark green
Luster: glassy
Crystal system: monoclinic crystal system
Hardness: 5-6
Specific gravity: 3.29
Refractive index: 1.66-1.72
Birefringence: 0.029
Transparency: transparent - opaque
[Chromium Turbidite]
Chromite is a pyroxene mineral that occurs in igneous and metamorphic rocks in many parts of the world. Although it is very common, it is rare to find it at gemstone grade. The colors of tremolite are dark green, light green, yellowish green, grayish green, brown, purple, colorless, white, gray, etc. When tremolite contains the element chromium (Cr), it will show a rich emerald green color, and the depth and intensity of this green color is very distinctive, which is why it is known as "chromium tremolite" in the gemstone world, or "green tremolite" by some people.
[Origin].
Chromium tremolite is a gemstone found in Burma, the Ural Mountains of Siberia in Russia, Pakistan and South Africa, as well as in Austria, Brazil, Italy, the United States, Madagascar, Canada, India and China.
[Chrome Tourmaline vs. Emerald]
Chrome Tourmaline is known as the "Siberian Emerald" and the "Sister Stone of Emerald", which shows the attractiveness of this gemstone. Like emeralds, chrome diopside has an attractive bright green color, ranging from light to dark.