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this locality small pebbles of olivine have been broken
out of the rocks in which the mineral formed, and are
recovered from sand dunes and ant hills! The Mogok District
of Burma also produces fine Peridot, some of large size.
Small amounts of Peridot have also been found in Brazil,
Australia, Czechoslovakia, Hawaii, Norway, Zaire, and
Mexico. Consumer Tips-Peridot is not an expensive gem,
except in very large¬ sized flawless pieces. The
best material is green with no tinge of brown or yellow.
The
finest stones may sell for several tens of dollars per
carat. Gems weighing more than 50 carats are worthy
of museum display.
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The
color range of Peridot makes confusion with other
stones possible. Usually color is characteristic of
certain localities. This informa¬tion may add
enjoyment to ownership, and should be obtained at
time of purchase.
Synthetic
spinel the color of Peridot is a widely sold birthstone
substitute, but spinel has none of the diffuse, oily
softness of genuine Peridot, and is also much harder.
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A
brownish-green material resembling Peridot was identified
in recent years as a distinct mineral, known as sinhalite.
Only the most careful tests can distinguish the two gems.
Sinhalite is extremely rare and only cut stones are known,
but it seems likely that many more exist that have been mislabeled
Peridot.
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Peridot |
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Peridot
An old legend says that the inhabitants of St
john s 1sland, also known as Zebirget, in the
Red Sea off the coast of Egypt, mined green stones
as early as 1500 B.C. These gems were called "topazos,"
and the island itself known as topazios. The stones
were greatly prized by the Egyptian kings who
dominated the island, and the inhabitants were
forced to -m under rather harsh conditions. It
was believed that the gems i n the dark, so they
were hunted at night and the locations of the
a spots carefully marked for recovery the next
day. Actually, today we know topaz is a completely
different gem. The material mined or get is the
gem form of the mineral olivine, which we know
as Peridot.
Peridot is
surrounded by superstition. It was once thought
that it could break evil spells. The gem was associated
with the sun, whose e life and dispelled the mysteries
of the darkness. Peridot was also posed to have
medicinal value. Through the centuries confu¬sions
regarding the names given to this material. The
name “chrysolite" has been applied to Peridot,
prehnite, Chrysoberyl, and - !low stones. Other
misleading names are "oriental-chrysolite"
(Chrysoberyl), "Brazilian-chrysolite (also
Chrysoberyl), "aqua-marine-¬chrysolite"
(beryl), and "Saxony-chrysolite" (topaz).
Many - were sent to Europe during the time of
the Crusades, labeled as emeralds. Some of the
finest known gems are in museums, and may attain
sizes of several hundred carats.
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Dot
is a warm, soft olive or yellowish-green gem.
It never reaches the intensity or shade of green
characteristic of emerald. The hardness is - the
Mohs scale, which is somewhat soft for a gemstone.
Cut peridots therefore tend to lose their polish
and become scratched after some time. Good cleavage
makes Peridot somewhat delicate for use in le
birefringence of Peridot is fairly high, and back
facets appear doubled when viewed through the
thickness of a stone. Peridot tends to have a
soft, velvety appearance that helps distinguish
it from similar ¬appearing materials such
as tourmaline and glass. |
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St.
John's Island is still a major source of the finest Peridot,
although mining there is extremely sporadic. Typically, no
material is mined until little or none remains available on
the marketplace, thus creating re¬newed demand. Fine Peridot
of a pleasing color comes from Arizona.
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