Description
Overview & Authenticity
This listing features a genuine Chrome Diopside mineral specimen, carefully selected for colour, clarity, and natural crystal character. The photographs show an example of the actual specimen you will receive, accurately representing quality, form, and appearance. Each piece is a naturally formed mineral, individually chosen rather than bulk-graded, ensuring a distinctive and authentic geological specimen.
Every specimen is supplied with a Certificate of Authenticity, including a lifetime guarantee of genuineness, provided on a generic authenticity card. This offers complete confidence for collectors, educators, and anyone seeking a verified natural mineral.
Mineral Identification & Classification
Chrome Diopside is a chromium-rich variety of diopside, a calcium magnesium silicate mineral belonging to the pyroxene group. Its vivid green colour is produced by trace amounts of chromium substituting within the crystal lattice, giving the mineral its highly sought-after emerald to deep forest green tones.
Diopside typically forms in monoclinic crystal systems, commonly appearing as prismatic or blocky crystals, granular aggregates, or crystal fragments. This specimen falls within the 10–40 mm size range, making it ideal for display, handling, or inclusion in a comparative mineral collection.
Geological Formation & Environment
Chrome Diopside forms in igneous and metamorphic geological environments, particularly within ultramafic rocks such as peridotite and kimberlite. These rocks originate deep within the Earth’s mantle, making chrome diopside a mineral with a direct connection to deep geological processes.
The mineral crystallises under high-temperature conditions, often during slow cooling or metamorphic alteration of mantle-derived rocks. Chromium becomes incorporated during crystal growth, producing the intense green coloration that distinguishes chrome diopside from standard diopside varieties.
Physical Characteristics & Visual Appeal
This specimen displays the classic features for which chrome diopside is highly regarded. Colour ranges from bright grassy green to darker, richer emerald tones, depending on crystal thickness and chromium concentration. Natural crystal faces may show vitreous lustre, while broken or granular surfaces reveal internal colour zoning and clarity.
Chrome diopside has a relatively high brilliance when clean crystal faces are present, making even small specimens visually striking. Its hardness and crystal structure allow it to retain sharp edges and defined forms, enhancing its aesthetic and collectible appeal.
Scientific & Educational Interest
Chrome diopside is of particular interest to mineralogists and geology enthusiasts due to its mantle-derived origin and chemical relationship to deep Earth processes. It is commonly used in educational collections to demonstrate pyroxene mineral chemistry, chromium substitution, and the link between surface minerals and mantle geology.
Because of its strong colour and identifiable properties, chrome diopside is suitable for both introductory and advanced mineral collections, offering scientific relevance alongside visual impact.
Collecting & Display Use
With a size range of 10–40 mm, this chrome diopside specimen is ideal for display cabinets, drawers, or desk collections. It also works well as part of a curated mineral set or as a thoughtful geological gift. The vivid green colour contrasts beautifully with lighter display backgrounds and natural stone matrices.
As a carefully chosen, genuine mineral supplied with a Certificate of Authenticity and lifetime guarantee, this chrome diopside specimen represents a visually striking and geologically meaningful addition to any mineral or crystal collection.
