Peridot, pronounced "per-i-do," is the rare gem form of the mineral olivine. Green Fire, as it was called, was also known as the "Gem of the Sun." One of the most ancient of mined gemstones, peridot was called "Gem of the Sun" by the Egyptians because olivine (peridot) was mined at night and would glow like the sun when highlighted in the dark. It was purported to break evil spells, and have great medicinal value. It only comes in one color, green, but in many different shades ranging from olive green to lime green to brownish tones.
Our prime sources of peridot are Arizona, Burma, and Norway. It is one of the most ancient of gems. It was first found on St. John's Island (Zeberget) in the Red Sea in the year 1500 B.C., but mining was very restricted for centuries because the island was overwhelmed with pit vipers. It was not until 531 A.D. that a peridot hungry Pharaoh of Egypt sent an army of soldiers to kill all the snakes and reopen the mines. Some even today come from the Red Sea island.
Peridot is one of the few gems known to exist in space, for in the 1920's a Kansas farmer found his field peppered with lumps of peridot-studded metal. These stones were identified as an uncommon type of meteorite called Pallasites. Although meteorites seldom yield gemstones of cutting value, they can still be expensive because of their oddity. With a hardness of 6.5 to 7, peridot must have moderate care, such as using protected settings and avoiding extreme temperature changes. Surrounded for centuries by superstitions, this cool green gem is most fitting as the representative of our hottest month of the year.
Peridot was discovered in 1994 in the Kashmir Region of Pakistan, 15,000 feet above sea level. This discovery gave the world the finest and largest specimens of peridot ever found.
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