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Peridot Facts
Home » Jewelry » Peridot » Peridot FactsPeridot is the birthstone for the month of August and is the gemstone designated for the 16th wedding anniversary.
Peridot ranges in color from light yellow-green to the intense bright green to olive green. Because the way Peridot splits and bends the rays of light passing through it, it has a velvety appearance, a rich glow and a slightly greasy luster. The purer green a Peridot is, the higher the value. Any tinges of brown or visible flaws greatly diminish the price.
The best Peridot has an iron percentage of less than 15 percent and includes nickel and chromium as trace elements.
It is not clear if the word peridot comes from the Arabic word faridat meaning unclear.
The French first called the yellowish-green stone Peridot in the 18th century. Before this, Peridot was called Topaz.
Peridot has been mined as a gemstone for over four thousand years. Miners searched for Peridot crystals at night because the moonlight made the crystals easier to see. They would mark the locations and come back in the daylight to dig.
The Peridots were used by the Egyptians as early as 1500 BC and was considered the gem of the sun.
Peridot is mentioned in the Bible under the Hebrew name of pitdah.
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