Chrome diopside

[gemtastic]

Hi
Anyone familiar with this stone? I was in a jewelry store today looking at an antique ring, lovely 3 stone setting with two old cut cushions and a funny looking "emerald' in the middle, (it was in the emerald section). I asked the sales lady why the "emerald" looked weird....she wasn't helpful. I looked the ring up on the store's website and it is listed as a chrome diopside.....so obviously she wasn't super helpful! The color was striking, but looked dead in the center when looked at straight down. So curious if anyone knows more about this stone.
Thanks!

 

[chrono]

Chrome diopside as the name implies is coloured green by chromium. Unfortunately, this gem is soft and brittle, making it a poor choice in a ring. I suspect the dead centre you noticed is most likely to be due to poor cutting angles resulting in windowing (light leaking through instead of reflecting colour back to the viewer's eyes).

 

[gemtastic]

Thanks Chrono!