Description
Chrome Diopside, Natural, 8mm Smooth Round, Limited Stock!
8mm strands have 45 to 50 pieces
Chrome diopside belongs to the pyroxene mineral group. Often referred to as the "Russian Emerald," it boasts a rich, forest-green color that rivals fine emeralds but at a fraction of the cost. The vivid green color is entirely natural; it is never treated or heated. It gets its color from trace amounts of chromium—which is the exact same element that gives emeralds and rubies their famous, vibrant hues.
The absolute best, gem-grade chrome diopside comes from Inagli in Eastern Siberia, Russia. Because winters there are punishingly brutal, with temperatures regularly dropping below -40°F, miners only have a tiny 2-3 month summer window to dig the stones out of the ground before the region freezes over again.
Because traditional emeralds are highly expensive and often heavily fractured, many jewelry designers promote chrome diopside as an affordable, brilliant alternative May birthstone.
Hardness 5-6
This is a natural stone that has had no treatment other than cutting, drilling, and polishing
The source of these beads is South Africa and they are cut, drilled and polished in China
