Diopside comes in a variety of colors and similar to Zircon or Peridot. Diopside has perfect cleavage and difficult to facet.
Diopside has several varieties, including a chromium-rich gem variety called chrome diopside. Violan is rare blue variety found in some localities in Italy . Ordinary diopside is typically white or green and can have a nice glassy luster. many specimens of ordinary diopside are also cut for gemstones.
Mineral specimens of diopside can be very striking in appearance, and of interest to mineral collectors.
