The legend of peridot goes back to more than two millennia. The story goes that Egyptians were the first people to mine this golden-green gem on the volcanic Red Sea island of Topazios. The island was invaded by dangerous snakes, but they grow them into the sea in order to mine the hidden treasure. They called peridot “the sun gem”, believing it had fallen down from the skies and believed it had special healing powers. Peridot name is believed to come from the Arabic ‘faridat’ meaning ‘gem’, rooted in the Greek word ‘peridona’ which means ‘giving plenty’. This may explain why peridot is associated with prosperity and good fortune and it is connected to light and the sun, known as an uplifting stone.
Peridot is a diversity of the mineral olivine, with a striking green colouring and one of the few gemstones which only comes in one colour. Its rich green colour is caused by iron ions and changes from a yellow-green to a brownish-green depending on the amount of iron present. Peridot also has double refraction which can be seen when you look closely through the gem, you will see two of each pavilion facet. Peridot mostly comes with no inclusion, but in some stones, tiny black spots may be apparent when looked at with magnification. Peridot was known as 'the sun gem' by ancient Egyptians and amazingly, it has been proved that peridot is an extraterrestrial stone by finding peridot crystals in meteorites! Mostly, the peridot is mined in Brazil, Hawaii, Greece and Pakistan. Peridot measures 6.5-7 on the Mohs hardness scale.
Peridot is a stunning gemstone to use in jewellery designs - with its bright green colour it offers a glamorous look, great for everyday and special occasions. Peridot is also the birthstone of August and the 16th-anniversary gemstone.
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