MGR26 Diopside (Chrome)

Central Madagascar
7.0x 2.5x 1.7 cm

$430

A cluster of fairly long and terminated chrome diopside crystals.  They have a good deal of internal fracturing, so unlike the specimen above the deep green color is not as readily visible.  It does however, display excellent size and form, particularly given the position of the two main crystals relative to each other.

 If I had not purchased this in Madagascar, I would have guessed it was from Pakistan, simply because Malagasy chrome diopsides are usually much smaller, are rarely available as specimens.  The few specimens that I have seen on the market have come from (very) old collections, and the overwhelming majority of the new material goes to the cutters, so it does not surprise me that pieces like this are so seldom encountered.