Also known as “olivine” because of its distinct olive green color, Peridot has a high birefringence due to which doubling of the back facets can be easily seen. Peridot is also often referred to as "poor man's emerald". Peridot is probably derived from the French word “peritot”, which means unclear, probably due to the inclusions and cloudy nature of large stones. Peridot has been mined as a gemstone for an almost four thousand years or more, and is mentioned in the Bible under the Hebrew name of “pitdah”. Peridot gets its olive or bottle green color due to the presence of iron. The best-colored peridot has an iron percentage of less than 15% and includes nickel and chromium as trace elements that may also contribute to the best peridot color.

Locations:

Gem quality peridot comes from the ancient source of St. John’s Island in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt, China, Myanmar, Pakistan, Brazil, Germany, Norway, Mexico, Ethiopia, Australia, and Peridot Mesa, San Carlos Apache Reservation Gila County, Arizona and Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii, USA. The Arizona gem material is of lesser quality, but is far more abundant and therefore, it is much more affordable. An estimated 80-95% of all world production of peridot comes from Arizona. The Myanmar, Pakistani and Egyptian gems are rarer but they are of top quality found anywhere in the world.

Chemical Composition: Magnesium Iron Silicate
Crystal Structure: Orthorhombic
Hardness: 6.5
Specific Gravity: 3.34
Refractive Index: 1.64-1.69
Colors: Yellowish green, olive green and brownish green.
Luster: Vitreous to greasy

Astrological Relevance:

Peridot is considered to be one of the birthstones for the month of August, which covers two zodiac signs: Leo (July 22 To August 22) and Virgo (August 22 To September 22).