Peridot Gemstone, peridot jewelry, cleaning peridot, peridot facts and folklore, August birthstone
Peridot is the name used by gemologists for gem-quality specimens
of the mineral Olivine. It has been around for hundreds of years, the ancient Romans referred to peridot as the "evening
emerald" , since at night it can be
seen to glow vibrantly even in dim candlelight. For this reason peridot was traditionally mined at night since the
glow it gives off makes the stone easier to see.
New deposits of the gemstone were discovered circa. 1900 near the Egyptian Coast but were soon mined out.
After that peridot was largely forgotten until the mid 1990's when another deposit of new high quality peridot was found in
Pakistan. Someof these stones were the finest ever discovered and were marketed as Kashmir Peridot, sparking a
revival.
A relatively inexpensive gemstone, peridot comes in varying shades
of green, from a bottle green through to greenish yellow. Usually eye clean, it can contain inclusions of tiny crystals of
black chromite, the more interesting ones can resemble the shape of lilypads. In very rare cases
peridot can also display asterism (a star) or chatoyancy (cat's-eye) - see Phenomenal Gems page for more on these characteristics.
|
|
| Peridot and Pearl Drop Earrings |
|
On the Moh's Scale of hardness, peridot comes in at 6.5 - 7, so is softer than some of the other everyday gems such as amethyst, or ruby.
It would best worn in earrings or necklaces or brooches, in order to prevent incurring hard knocks.
Care of your peridot jewelry
Peridot is not usually treated, even so steam cleaning
is not recommended, since when exposed to rapid or extreme temperature change peridot can crack or break. The best method
for cleaning stones is to wash with warm soapy water, rinse and dry with a soft cloth.
|
|
|
birefringence (doubly refractive gems only) |
|
