Hello
just for your viewing pleasures .. this huge bead is around 80mm in lenght and is made of natural, unheated and not stabilized chrome diopside from russia. The colors are fantastic any maybe even more shiny as on the pictures. This is considered top grade chrome diopside. This material is quiet difficult to work as it easily splinters. You have to work very carefully, slowly and softly and step by step work towards a final shape.

Well just to show something slightly different on this forum. This is a new bead done recently in Switzerland.

Good luck and all the best
Sandro