Olivine · August birthstone
Peridot
The only gem that comes in one colour, and sometimes from meteorites.
- Hardness
- Mohs 6.5
- Toughness
- Fair to good
- Daily wear
- Careful daily wear
- Price tier
- USD 30 to 400 per carat, fine quality
- Colours
- Lime green, Olive green, Yellow-green
- Origins
- Pakistan, Myanmar, Arizona, China
Peridot is gem-quality olivine, coloured green by iron, which is part of the mineral itself, so peridot is always green and never treated. It forms in volcanic rock and, rarely, in meteorites. Fine stones from Pakistan and Myanmar are a rich, oily lime green in sizes up to tens of carats; Arizona stones are smaller and yellower.
How to buy peridot
Prefer pure green over yellow-green and look for eye-clean stones; peridot often shows lily-pad inclusions. Larger sizes are affordable, which makes it a good stone for statement pieces.
Treatments
None.
Care
Warm soapy water only; no ultrasonic, no acids, no sudden temperature changes.
Lore
Mined on the Egyptian island of Zabargad for three thousand years; some of Cleopatra’s emeralds were probably peridot.
