History and origin of Peridot

Peridot which is pronounced as Pear-ih doe, is a wonderful gemstone that is not found in many regions of the world.  While known for thousands of years, many times it was incorrectly called Chrysolite.  Peridot is usually noted as a beautiful olive green stone. While other colors such as brown, yellow, yellowish brown and brownish green are available, by the far the most popular and attractive are the olive green colored gemstones.

Peridot is sometimes called Olivine which is its Mineral name.  However, when sold at commercial jewelry stores, it is almost always named Peridot.  Peridot is made from magnesium and iron with silica and oxygen mixed in.  While Peridot is very popular for its olive green appearance, it is sometimes considered an “evening stone” compared to the sharp hues that make the emerald..

Peridot is not that common in many world regions and thus does not have an extensive history.  However, it is still considered one of the birthstones available for the month of August.

While Peridot does have a decent hardness of 6.5 to 7 on the Moh’s hardness scale, it is usually considered not the best stone for rings or certain types of ornamental jewelry. The reason being is that it is extremely susceptible to chemical weathering and can change colors or lose its color quite rapidly.  In fact, one of the reasons that Peridot is very difficult to find around the world, is that once it surfaces or comes close to the surface, it possibly weathers away in very quick fashion.

What is Peridot used for?

Peridot is a very attractive looking gemstone that is usually olive green in color. It‘s name is French and is pronounced as Pear-ih-doe.  For the most part, Peridot is a rather rare gemstone. While it is not as valuable or as pricey as many other gemstones, it is usually difficult to mine and cultivate.  Peridot is a wonderful gemstone that at its best takes on an attractive olive green hue.  Other colors are available, but not as always as in demand as the Olive green color.  Besides olive green, yellowish green, yellowish brown and brownish green are available.

Peridot is the commercial gemstone name for this magnesium iron mineral that sometimes is mixed with nickel and chromium. Chromium gives Peridot its beautiful green hue. In regular mineral form, Peridot is commonly called Olivine. Another mineral that is closely associated with Peridot in color and features is Chrysolite.

While Peridot can make a wonderful mineral for ornamental jewelry, if you are planning on wearing a piece that includes Peridot for everyday, you should reconsider. While high quality Peridot will last for generations, everyday wear especially with items such as rings, might not be the best choice, due to the fact that Peridot weathers extremely easy.  You might want to consider a brooch, charm, earrings or a bracelet.

It is important to note that Peridot does have its jewelry niches. For those looking for a wonderful green gemstone that is not as bright or deep green as the emerald, the Peridot is perfect. These gemstones are commonly called “evening emerald”.