Peridot

Take good care…

Peridot, although relatively soft is quite brittle so must be worn with care. Avoid wearing peridot rings every day.  You can clean your peridot with a few drops of washing up liquid in water.  Use a toothbrush to gently scrub behind the stone, removing the dust and debris that can build up.

Try to avoid…

Your peridot is sensitive to rapid changes in temperature so avoid steam cleaning. Peridot jewellery should be stored with care in its original box to prevent scratching.

About your stone…

Peridot is from the mineral olivine and is created as a result of extreme conditions of heat and pressure.  The gemstone is found in rocks created by volcanoes and even from meteors that have fallen from space to earth.  The lime green colour of the gem is an integral part of its structure.    Most peridot comes from Arizona which produces stones which have beautiful colours but are relatively small - larger stones come from Burma, China and Kashmir.

Pearls of wisdom…

In Hawaii, the peridot is regarded as the goddess of Pele’s tears and on the islan of Oahu some of the beaches have sand made from tiny grains of peridot.  In the past, Hawaii’s volcanoes have produced some peridot stones used for jewellery.  

The peridot was called the ‘evening emerald’ by Romans as its colour did not darken at in the evening.  Legend holds the story that peridot was mined at night in ancient Egypt on the island of Zeberget.  The poisonous snakes that made mining a dangerous occupation were ordered to be driven into the sea by the Pharoah who didn’t want to stop the Peridot from being extracted.  Peridot was often used to adorn medieval churches such as Cologne Cathedral which is home to a shrine using Peridots of more than 200 carats in size.

Peridot is the birthstone for August.