Chrome Diopside Cabochon Oval Earrings

Chrome diopside is for the heart that wants to love more freely while staying grounded in ordinary life, generous without floating away. Its colour is the deep, living green of a fern gully after rain, given by traces of chromium, and it comes mostly from Siberia, in Russia, where the finest stones stay small because larger ones turn too dark. Its name, from the Greek for two views, seems fitting for a stone that looks both inward to the heart and outward to the living world. It is softer than many gems, and jewellers love it for a richness usually found only in far costlier stones.

Chrome diopside's chakra links are modern: the Heart Chakra of the Hindu and Vedic chakra system, with a further reach to the Third Eye Chakra, the seat of insight.

Green diopside is known for empowering the heart, supporting our emotional wellbeing and our ability to give love to ourselves and to others. It is turned to for learning and fresh ideas through its link to the third eye, and it nurtures a grounding bond with nature and the outdoors, a cord of light, as the tradition puts it, running from our heart to the heart of the earth.

Chrome diopside is a green you could fall into, deep and clear like a rainforest pool, with flashes of bright emerald where the light catches an edge. As a polished cabochon it looks almost velvety, darker in the shade and glowing in sunlight. It sits cool on the skin, and people are often surprised to learn it is not an emerald. It is the green for anyone who wants a stone with real depth.

Chrome diopside is usually worn as earrings or a pendant, its green kept near the face and heart. Many people choose it while they are working on being kinder to themselves and more open with others, and some wear it on study days or when learning something new. Gardeners and anyone happiest outdoors often receive it as a gift, and it is a beautiful choice for anyone who loves emerald green.

Chrome diopside is moderately soft (Mohs 5.5-6.5) and can scratch or chip, so take it off for gardening, the gym and housework, and store it apart from harder stones. Cleanse with running water, sound, moonlight, or smoke.