"Emerald of the Evening"

Peridot (pronounced pear-uh-doe) is derived from the French word peritot which means unclear and from the Arabic word faridat which means gem. It is the ideal gemstone to compliment your summer wardrobe; after all it is the birthstone of August, Periodot ranges in color from soft pistachio green to olive green, always with just the slightest hint of gold.

Peridot is one of a few gemstones that come in only one color, adding a unique and wonderful variant to the color spectrum of green gemstones. Peridot is the gem quality form of the mineral Olivine. Chemically, Peridot is an iron magnesium silicate. The color of the gemstone is caused by the presence of very fine traces of iron and the intensity of the color depends on the amount of iron present. Peridot with the best color has an iron percentage less that 15% and includes trace elements of nickle and chromium. Becasue of the way Peridot splits and bends the rays of light passing thorough it, it has a velvety glow and a slightly greasy luster. Overall, Peridot is not a rare gem but is a high quality semi-precious gemstone that is beautiful to wear and easy to care for.

Historically, the oldest and finest source of gem quality Peridot came for the island known today as Zabargad, located in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt. The earliest Crusaders, who called the tiny island St. John's Island, introduced this gem (known then as Chrysolite) to Europe upon their return from battle. The most beautiful stones mined today come from the border area between Pakistan and Afganistan. Peridot is also mined in China, the US, Africa, Australia, Norway, Brazil and Hawaii.

Peridot is a very old gemstone that has been mined for over 4000 years and has been documented in many ancient references. It is mentioned throughout the Bible and early Christians believed the stone was sacred. Examples have also been found in Egyptian jewelry from the early 2nd century B.C. Legend suggests that Peridot was Cleopatra's favorite gemstone. The ancient Romans were also fond of Peridot and valued it for t's radiant green shine that did not change even in lamplight. For this reason they nicknamed it the "emerald of the evening". Peridot has been confused with emerald throughout history despite being a completely different chade of green than an emerald. Other green gemstones that have been confused with Peridot are Apatitie, Green Garnet and Moldovite.

Sources:
www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/english/peridot.html
www.about-birthstones.com/augustbirthstone.html