Peridot Gems
Peridot is considered the prettiest of the green gems after emerald. But unlike emerald it has not the emerald green color, but the grass green. This shade of green is considered ideal for summertime outfit. And there is no wonder that peridot is a birthstone for November.
The peridot gems were known even in ancient Egypt about 2000 years BC. They were found on a small island in the Red Sea (70 km of Egyptian coast). It is interesting that to peridots the name of topaz may be fully initially applied, for this island was called Topazos (Zabargad).
Actually peridot gems have three known names. These are peridot, olivin (this gem is a variety of mineral called olivin) and chrysolith (this name has Greek origin and is a word for "goldstone"). However exist a Greek word "peridona" that means "giving plenty" and it is used sometimes too.
There are no so much gemstones, that exist only in one color like peridot. It is a gem with the finest iron traces that is a good account for the deep green color with a golden hue. If we are talking about chemical aspect – peridot is an iron-magnesium-silicate, where the more iron it has the more intense color it got. Such color can come in any variations from yellow-green or olive to brownish green. Peridot has only 6.5 degrees of hardness on the Mohs´ scale (that’s not very hard), but it is easy to take care of. Very rare treasures indeed, however, are Peridot-Cat’s Eye and Star-Peridot.
Peridot unlike red or blue gemstones is light independent. It looks great under all lights and that is why there are thousands of ways to cut peridot gems. And because peridot is comparably cheap jewelers and cutters are able to focus on stone beauty without thinking of weight retention. However peridot gems are cut according to their crystal structure. That is mostly facetted cuts, antique, round, octagonal or oval shaped. Small peridot crystals are cut as calibrated stones.
Unfortunately due to low level of hardness peridot gems are not easy to process. The rough crystals are very easy to break and tensions inside the crystals are quite considerable. But peridot gems can be excellently suited to daily wear without requiring special care. Unlike all other gems peridot is not synthesized, however some imitations exist. They usually are made of natural stones such as tourmaline, or are man-made imitations such as glass. Green glass is most common imitation, and can be easily separated by its single refraction.
It is very convenient that peridot gems have almost all green color palettes. And of course it is uses not only as individual stone, but also in different jewelry series. Since the world of fashion has just discovered a preference for the green color – the popularity of this deep green gemstone has increased accordingly. Peridot gem is a stone which you should definitely get to know. Its grass green or olive green ideally complements a light summertime outfit.
