Jewelry Blog » Peridot

>Cleaning Peridot Jewelry

sudha — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 14:50:00 +0000

>Clean peridot in warm water with dishwashing detergent, or a mild commercial solution. Avoid harsh chemicals and abrasives which can damage the surface and destroy the luster. You can use a small amount of ammonia in the water to help brighten the stone if it’s excessively dirty. Soak in dishwater solution for 10 to 20 minutes, then scrub thoroughly but gently with a soft brush. Rinse and dry well before storing. Have jewelry professionally cleaned every one to two years.

>Peridot-Evening Emerald

sudha — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 14:34:00 +0000

>Peridot is a green gemstone that is as popular for jewelry today as it was in the past. It has been found in ruins of ancient Egypt and Greece and was often called the evening emerald by ancient Romans, who noticed that its green color shone even more vividly in lamplight, making it resemble deep green emeralds.

Where is peridot found?

The Red Sea island of St. Johns was an important source of peridot in earlier times. It was rediscovered about a century ago and still produces small quantities of the gemstone.

Peridot Mesa, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, is an important source of peridot. It is mined by Native Americans.

Although not mined commercially, peridot can also be found at several different locations in New Mexico.

Burma exported a great deal of peridot until political upheavals stopped distribution.

Mines in Pakistan and China yield large amounts of peridot.

Peridot Fact & Folklore

Peridot is the birthstone for August.

In Hawaii, peridot symbolizes the goddess Pele’s tears. Some Hawaiian beaches are packed with tiny grains of peridot that are too small to cut.

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., houses the largest cut peridot, a 310 carat gem.

Ground peridot, taken internally, was once used as a treatment for asthma.

It was thought that peridot brought power and influence to its owner.

>Peridot: The poor man’s emerald-August Birthstone

sudha — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 07:29:00 +0000

>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.
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.

>Peridot-What is peridot? – August Birthstone

sudha — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:27:00 +0000

>Peridot, a variety of chrysolite, is a light to olive green, moderately hard, transparent mineral that is cut and graded as gemstones.

Peridot is the birthstone of August and signifies joy and happiness in marriage.

The word peridot, although said to be French, may get it’s origins from the Arabic word faridat, meaning gem. Olivine is another word used by mineralogist because of it’s olive color.

In ancient Egypt, this beauty of a gemstone was thought to protect the wearer from evil spirits and to keep spirits away during the night. It was also thought to cure asthma and and other illnesses and to ward off thirst caused by fever.

Peridot crystals tend to be two thick and tubular with cleavage and conchoidal fracture that run in two directions.

Peridot has been known to crack under pressure due to the brittle nature of it’s crystals so care must be taken when jewelers cut the stone for jewelry placement.
Read more here

>Peridot Buying Guide, Tips-August Birthstone

sudha — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:53:00 +0000

>Peridot is one of the less expensive gems, and are often found in large (over 10 carat) sizes. This means that it’s not unusual to find excellent quality peridots for low prices. Because it is inexpensive and readily available, peridot is a favorite material for some of the more fanciful cuts of gemstone.

Peridot buying guide
Sometimes referred to as the Evening Emerald, the most valuable peridots are the same rich green as high quality emeralds. An excellent quality peridot has a ‘velvety’ quality to the color, as opposed to the fire of emeralds, due to the difference in their refractive properties. Because the stone is so readily available, the gauge of quality is eye clean stones with no visible inclusions. The color of the most highly valued stones is a bright grass green with no yellow or olive tones – but that’s very much a matter of preference. If you like a richer, deeper, more earthy tone, you could get an excellent bargain in a peridot piece.