PERIDOT is the gemstone variety of olivine. Because the iron which creates the color is an integral part of its structure, it is found only in green, ranging from a summery light yellowish green to a 7-up bottle green. There is a lot of confusion over the pronunciation of peridot. It is actually pronounced pear-a-doe instead of pear-a-dot.

Peridot: A gemstone is born in fire.

Small crystals of peridot are often found in the rocks created by volcanoes and also can be found in meteors that fall to earth! A few samples of extraterrestrial peridot have even been faceted into gems!

The Romans called peridot "evening emerald," since its green color did not darken at night but was still visible by lamplight. Peridot later was also often used to decorate medieval churches, probably carried back to Europe by the Crusaders.

Large peridots, more than 200 carats in size, adorn the shrine of the three magi at the Cologne Cathedral. Peridot had the power to drive away evil spirits and the power was considered to be even more intense when the stone was set in gold. Peridot was also said to strengthen the power of any medicine drunk from goblets carved from the gemstone.

Today most peridot is mined by Native Americans in Arizona on the San Carlos Reservation. Fine large peridot are found in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and peridot is also mined in China and Sri Lanka.

In 1994, a new deposit of peridot was discovered in Pakistan, and these stones are among the finest ever seen. The new mine is located 15,000 feet above sea level in the Nanga Parbat region in the far west of the Himalaya Mountains in the Pakistanian part of Kashmir. Beautiful large crystals of peridot were found, some that cut magnificent large gemstones. One stone was more than 300 carats. This discovery, combined with fashion's passion for lime green, has revived interest in peridot and increased the popularity of this gemstone.

Although peridot is treasured in Hawaii as the goddess Pele's tears, almost all of the peridot sold in Hawaii today is from Arizona, even though peridot is produced by Hawaii's volcanoes. The island of Oahu even has beaches made out of olivine grains but unfortunately they are much too small to cut into peridot.

Peridot Care

As with all gems, protect peridot from scratches and sharp blows. Also avoid large temperature changes.  Do not clean peridot in a home ultrasonic cleaner.

Peridot Mystical Properties

Peridot is used to help dreams become a reality. Peridot is given as a symbol of fame, dignity, and protection. Legend has it that pirates favored peridot to protect them against evil. When the peridot was set in gold it also protected the wearer from terrors in the night.

It has been mined as a gemstone for thousands of years, and is mentioned in the Bible under the name of Chrysolite. Historical legend has it that peridot was the favorite gemstone of Cleopatra Peridot was mined in ancient Egypt on an island called Zeberget.

Mining was done at night because it was said that peridot could not be easily seen during the day. The island was infested with serpents who made peridot mining a very dangerous occupation until one Pharoh finally had them all driven into the sea.

Healing Properties

Brings the energies from in the aura to the physical body. This is useful after energy work -- however, one needs to be certain that they are bringing in the new energy -- not the stuff they are trying to purge. Use with caution. If you muscle test (or use a pendulum), test for it.

A Disclaimer:  Effort has been made of including information that is found in at least two sources. I can make no claim on the accuracy of this information. I am not a Geologist or Gemologist. I make no guarantees and infer no warranties. For more information, please refer to the bibliography.

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Copyright Information.:  Although I have included a bibliography, but no attempt has been made to give credit to individual passages. If you are an author and feel that I have infringed on your copyrighted material please let me know. With that in mind, all material and information, retain their respected Copyrights.

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I encourage the reader to pursue the further study of any topic that they find particularly interesting. A good place to start is your local library.