In crystal lore today, peridot is a stone of the open heart. People keep it for love and for patience in close relationships.
Silicate (olivine group) · Olivine (forsterite)
Peridot
Peridoto
- Palette
- Green Yellow
- Mined in
- United States, Pakistan, Myanmar, China, Egypt, Brazil, Australia, Sri Lanka
- Hardness
- Mohs 6.5–7.0 ?
- See-through
- transparent
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- uncertain: the word comes from Middle English peritot via Anglo-Norman peridou, but its origin is not known
- Also sold as
- olivine, chrysolite, evening emerald
- Intention
- Love Protection
- Looking for
- Love Relationships Protection Joy
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Peridot beads are usually sold natural, with no dye or heat listed by the bead trade.
Not in our pieces now
90%
One classic estimate puts 90 percent of all known peridot at one place, the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona.
1,003 KILOGRAMS
The Fukang meteorite, a 1,003-kilogram mass recovered in China in 2000, is a pallasite filled with peridot crystals.
PETER SIMON PALLAS
Pallasite meteorites, the space rocks that carry peridot crystals, are named for the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas.
What it is
A clear to translucent green stone, from light olive to bright apple green, sometimes with tiny dark flecks inside. It is almost always one shade of green, which is how it differs from many green look-alikes. It is often faceted, and beads are usually small and glassy.
What gives it its color
Peridot is green because iron is part of its crystal structure; more iron gives a deeper, more olive green.
Where it comes from
Most peridot today comes from the San Carlos Apache reservation in Arizona; the oldest source is Zabargad (St. John's Island) in the Red Sea, and Pakistan and Myanmar produce fine olive-green crystals.
In history
Peridot was mined on Zabargad, an island in the Red Sea, beginning around 300 BCE, when it was called topazios. Pliny the Elder recorded the fog-bound island and a four-cubit statue carved from the stone for Queen Arsinoe, and a 310-carat cut peridot sits in the Smithsonian's collection.
What's said about it
It is also said to protect the aura, so some people carry it when they want a sense of safe boundaries.
Ancient writers prized a green Red Sea gem that is usually taken to be peridot. Medieval lore set it in gold and linked it to the sun and to driving off night fears.
People wear it on the wrist or carry it in a pocket.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in a pocket, near the heart, or on a desk.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, peridot is paired with the solar plexus and heart chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on the wrist, in a pocket, near the heart. People reach for it when they want love, relationships, protection, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraSolar Plexus, Heart
ZodiacVirgo
BirthstoneAugust
Anniversary16th
ElementEarth
Also calledolivine, chrysolite, evening emerald
Care
- Fairly hard but brittle, with poor cleavage in two directions; keep it from hard knocks.
- Clean with a soft cloth and lukewarm water with a little mild soap, then dry.
- Keep away from acids, strong cleaners and sudden temperature changes.
- Store apart from harder stones such as sapphire and ruby, which can scratch it.
How to tell what you have
- Peridot is the gem variety of olivine, one shade of green from olive to apple green, sometimes with tiny dark flecks.
- Under a loupe the back facet edges look doubled, a sign of its strong double refraction.
- It has often been mistaken for emerald and other beryl, and green glass can look similar.
What sets the price
Beads cost more when the green is a rich, pure grass green rather than yellowish or brownish, when they are cleaner, and when they are larger.
Questions people ask at our table
What is peridot?
The gem form of olivine, a magnesium-iron silicate that is always some shade of green. It forms deep in the earth and is also found in a few meteorites.
Is peridot the same as olive jade?
No. Peridot is transparent and glassy and is a single mineral. Olive jade is a different, mostly opaque stone with a softer look.
Is peridot natural, or can it be dyed?
Peridot is naturally green and needs no dye. Green glass is sometimes sold under its name, so ask for the stone to be named.
Why is peridot an August stone?
It is the traditional birthstone for August.
How do I look after it?
Wipe it with a soft cloth and keep it away from knocks, acids and hard stones. It is brittle despite its hardness.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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