It’s true that history of peridot is quite different from almost all well-known gemstones. Aside from diamonds and peridots, almost all well known gemstones form in the crust of the earth and that is the thing which makes these stones quite different from others. Peridot and diamonds are two those gemstones that form much deeper in the earth and they come up because of volcanic or tectonic activity.

In ancient world, Topazos Island was the main source of peridot, the stone was also abundantly found at St. John’s Island in the Egyptian Red Sea. The mention of this stone is also found in the history of Pliny.

In Zabargad this stone has been ceaselessly mined for more than 3500 years, but it is also interesting to note that exact location of that island was rediscovered in 1905 after quite a long, long time. This small island remains under fog throughout the year.

But after the Second World War, mining came to an end on this island. These days there are five sources where this gemstones, lapis lazuli tiles comes from that are found in Burma, Pakistan and Afghanistan. This stone is also mined in New Mexico and Arizona, but the stone is not the same exceptional quality, as it is Pakistan or some other places.

The stone has somewhat an everlasting mystical reputation and is being used as talisman for quite some time. Its magical powers are used to ward off anxiety, and men become more articulate. It is also believed that the stone proves quite effective to promote success in marriage and relationships.

Usually, the mining of this charming stone is done at night as it becomes more prominent because of its natural glow at night. Egyptians miners also believed that peridot could be seen even in the natural sun rays. Many renowned personalities throughout the history had quite an impressive collection of that stone. Cleopatra and Sultans of Ottoman were quite well known for such collections.

In Himalayan mountain regions peridot was abundantly found and its powdered form was used to treat asthma and fever in these areas. People of this region also believed that if something was drunk in a goblet made of peridot could enhance the potency of the drug taken with it. Pirates also used peridot to keep themselves away from evil spirits. Peridot is one of those stones that even men have been wearing in jewelry for quite some time, as they believe that this stone can be very effective for their vitality and strength.

Peridot is available in a wide range of colors including yellow green, sharp green and olive green. It bends and splits rays in such a way that when light passes through it, it gets a sleepy and velvety appearance. A rich glow with impressive luster could also be seen in this stone. In Pakistan a really exciting new deposit of this stone has been found few years back. These Pakistani Peridots are quite unique in their appearance and beauty and they are no doubt, the finest perditos that have ever been seen. This new mine has been found in the Nanga Parbat region in that is located in west of Himalayan Mountains.

Peridot is usually pronounced as pair-uh-doe and it’s an array of olivine (not a certified mineral) that is consisted of two minerals known as fayalite and forsterite. Fayalite (Fe2Si04) is iron rich while forsterite (Mg2Sio4) is a manganese rich mineral. To show the exchange of magnesium and iron; olivine is chemically formulated as (Mg, Fe) 2Sio4. Though iron serves as a coloring agent for Peridot, yet in composition Peridot is often nearer to forsterite instead of fayalite. A peridot, which has less than 15% of iron and has some trace elements like nickel and chromium, is considered the best in color.

A large number of gemstones that have a mineral origin form in the crust of the earth. But peridot and diamond are two such elements as form deeper in the earth and this deeper region is known as mantle. Peridot crystals are found 20 to 55 miles deeper and they pop up on the surface due to tectonic or volcanic activity. Similarly, diamonds form around 100-150 miles below the surface where temperatures and pressures are extreme.

There are only few gemstones that come in one color and Peridot is one of them. The deep effects of green color depend on iron composition in crystal formation and it also fluctuates from yellow-green to olive and brownish-green. Peridot is also called poor man’s emerald. No doubt, olivine is abundantly found mineral but still gemy peridot is rare in fact.

Peridots are abundantly found in Burma, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, and the U.S. The finest quality of Peridot is found in Burma and Pakistan while the U.S is considered the largest producer of peridot in the world. A large part of American peridot comes from the deposits of Arizona. A locality known as Peridot Mesa, which is situated on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation east of Globe in Gila County, is considered the largest productive locality of peridot all around the globe. Almost 80 to 90 percent of peridot in the world is produced by San Carlos Reservation.

The largest cut peridot has been found as weighed around 310 carats and placed in Washington D.C. at Smithsonian. Similarly in the Diamond treasury Moscow there is a 192.75 carat peridot that belongs to czars. A 146 carat peridot is found in the geological Museum in the city of London. When it is small in sizes, it is considered relatively less expensive gemstone but its value considerably increases if the stone is over 5 carats. Peridot with 10-15 carats weight is rare and that’s why quite expensive. Peridot is always counted an untreated gem as there isn’t any known treatment that is used to enhance color or clarity of peridot. People born in the month of August must regard peridot as it’s birthstone for this month.

Related Links

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peridot
• Peridot at DeMairo.com

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