Peridot Jewelry
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Peridot is the volcanic gem. Small crystals of peridot are often found in the rocks created by volcanoes and also can be found in meteors that fall to earth! Peridot is the gem form of the mineral olivine. Because the iron which creates the color is an integral part of its structure, it is found only in green, ranging from a summery light yellowish green to a 7-up bottle green. Peridot is the birthstone for August. Peridot was mined in ancient Egypt on an island called Zeberget.
Colour
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Peridot ranges in color from light yellow-green to the intense bright green of new grass to olive.
The purer green a peridot is, the higher the value.
Any tinges of brown or visible flaws greatly diminish the price.
The best-colored peridot has an iron percentage of less than 15% and includes nickel and chromium as trace elements.
Before this time, peridot was called topaz.
Mining
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It is said that miners search for peridot crystals at night because the moonlight made the crystals easier to see. They would mark the location and come back in the daylight to dig them up. It was used by the Egyptians as early as 1500 BC and was considered the gem of the sun.
Today, the most of the world production of peridot comes from Arizona while peridot from Myanmar, Pakistan and Egypt is more rare and finer quality. Price for stones from these areas will be higher and similar to prices for other top quality colored gems.
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Legend
Legend says that peridot was one of the favorite gemstones of Cleopatra and that some of the "emeralds" worn by her were actually peridot.
Folklore
Hawaiian natives believe peridot is the goddess Pele's tears, while biblical references to the stone include the high priest's breastplate studded with a stone for each of the twelve tribes of Israel, one being peridot. Cleopatra reportedly had a fine collection of emerald jewelry, which was really peridot but it was the Ottoman Sultans who gathered the largest collection during their 600-year reign from 1300-1918, with an impressive array of both loose gem stones as well as peridot earrings, peridot rings and other peridot jewelry.
Pirates believed peridot had the power to drive away evil spirits (and the nights terrors), especially if set in gold. But as protection from evil spirits it must be pierced, strung on donkey hair and worn on the left arm.
It is thought to bring the wearer good luck, peace, and success,. Its powers include health, protection, and sleep. The advantages of peridot are to attract love and calm anger while also soothing nerves and dispelling negative emotions.
Peridot is considered a tonic for the whole body and protects the wearer from negativity. It is associated with stress reduction and relaxation. Egyptians used peridot to clean and heal the heart. Powdered peridot has been used to cure asthma and a peridot placed under the tongue of someone in the grip of a fever is said to lessen his or her thirst. Legend has it that drinking from a peridot goblet can increase the potency of medicines.
Value
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The vast majority of peridot rough produces sub-carat sized stones which in commercial quality are quite inexpensive. Both Sinkakas,whose name was virtually synonymous with the world of gems and minerals, and Federman,the author of Consumer Guide to Colored Gemstones, agree that stones in the 1- 4 carat range, or those with custom cuts, may command $40/ct. or more, while those over 4 carats increase exponentially in value to $100-150/ ct in largest sizes.
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The most valuable color for peridot is pure green and so any yellow present decreases the global stone value. The qualities of the peridot color also increase with the size of the stone and small size, top-color peridot is nearly impossible to find.
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