Please help identify this stone

[SilverScarab]

Hi. I'm new here. My bf found this rock in Northern France near a small creek in the ground where there was an abundance of lime. I thought it might be diopside but I'm not certain. Can someone help me identify it?

 

[stdenis_jd]

It's slag glass. It's the leftovers from metal smelting.

Doesn't mean it's junk though. The green color is pretty nice and some lapidaries like making cabs out of it. Blue and green slags are actually pretty sought after in some circles - there's blue slag in northern Michigan called Leeland Blue and it sells for a pretty good price.

 

[SilverScarab]

Thanks for your quick reply. Now I know what slag glass looks like And I don't really care about the value, for I find the color beautiful. Might try to polish it even. Thanks again

 

[stdenis_jd]

Should be pretty easy to put a shine on it, but DO NOT dry sand it. Unless you want a severe, irreversible, respiratory condition there's likely quite a lot of silica in it and breathing in the dust will give you silicosis which is fundamentally the same thing as coal miner's lung.

 

[DDancer]

Good call stdenis