💚Peridot is a natural gemstone whose parent rock is the dominant rock-forming mineral of the earth’s mantle, a magnesium-iron silicate. Peridot is an ancient gemstone, the ancient Egyptians used it as jewelry more than 1,000 years ago and called it the “dusk emerald”. Ancient Romans believed that peridot had the magical power of the sun, which could drive away evil, subdue demons and bring light and hope to mankind, and called it “the gem of the sun”☀ and used it as an amulet. Peridot is also the birthstone of August.
🟩Chemical composition:(Mg, Fe),Si0
🟩Specific gravity:3.34
🟩Mohs hardness:6.5-7
🟩Crystal structure: rhombohedral crystal system
🟩Refractive index: 1.654-1.690(±0.020)
🟩Dispersion:0.020
🟩Luster: glassy
✅ Color
🌈Gem-quality peridot is classified as intense yellow-green, golden yellow-green, yellow-green, and intense green.
🟢Peridot is a magnesium-iron silicate mineral in which the element Ferri(Fe) determines the color of the peridot. The saturation of the color of peridot increases with the increase of iron content, and the color ranges from pure green, yellowish green to brownish yellow, of which pure green is the best color, but pure peridot is very rare, with yellowish green peridot being the most common. Iron that goes from divalent to trivalent (oxidized) gives the peridot a brownish tint and reduces its value. The greener the peridot color, the higher the value.
🟢The intense green color of peridot has a special name, “twilight emerald” or western emerald, also known as “evening primrose emerald”. A good quality peridot is a transparent olive green or yellowish-green color that is very pleasing to the eye.
🌐Origin
🟢World-famous sources of high-quality peridot include Brazil, St. John’s Island in Egypt in the Red Sea, the Zircon Halo Mountains in Vesuvius, Italy, Snarum, Norway, the Eifel region of Germany, and the states of Arizona and New Mexico in the United States. Gem-quality peridot has also been found in the basalt packages of Hannauba, Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China. The highest quality peridot is found in Myanmar’s Mogok region, where it has a brighter green color.
✅Identification of Peridot
🟢Top quality peridot usually has no inclusions visible to the naked eye, but tiny black chromite crystals may be found under magnification. Peridot has its own unique inclusions: water-lily inclusions, negative crystals, gas-liquid inclusions and cloudy inclusions.
🟢The color of peridot is usually olive green, sometimes with a yellow tint. It is usually transparent, but may contain inclusions or cracks. Peridot has a glassy luster, which is especially noticeable in sunlight. If the peridot has a dull or no luster, it may be of poor quality or an imitation.
✅How to Choose Peridot?
🍀 Color
👉The color is the main factor that determines the value of a peridot, it should be pure and homogeneous, without any brown or black tones, a good quality peridot presents a bright and saturated color. The best color is green, without any yellowish or brownish tones, and this color is usually found in stones over 10 carats. Low-quality peridot is brown in color. Pure green stones are rare, and most peridots always have a yellowish tint, with higher quality stones having a more intense color.
🍀 Weight
👉As peridot is prone to cracking, high quality large carats are not common, only a few of the high quality peridots are larger than 3 carats, and those larger than 10 carats are the best of the best.
🍀 Clarity
👉Most high quality peridots are flawless to the naked eye, and attention should be paid to the presence of a large number of fissures and inclusions within the stone that are visible to the naked eye, as well as fissures that extend to the surface of the stone. Peridot is very transparent, and inclusions visible to the naked eye, especially black spots, reduce the value of the peridot. Those that look clear and transparent are generally of superior quality.
🍀 Cut
As with other colored gemstones, a good cut can make a peridot more brilliant. When shopping for a peridot, pay attention to whether the corners are straight and the facets are well-shaped.
⚠Wearing care
🔊Peridot has a hardness of only 6.5, making it a relatively fragile gemstone.
💢Avoid bumping, not suitable for daily wear as a ring, need to be kept separately, easy to be scratched by other gemstones;;
💢Avoid contact with acidic substances, such as perfume, hairspray, cosmetics, etc.; and
💢Avoid high temperature, sudden heat will rupture and ruin the whole peridot; 4. Not to use ultrasonic/steam cleaner, need to use warm soapy water to clean it, and then wipe it dry with a soft cottonless flannel.
