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Instantly
recognizable with its distinctive “lime-green” color,
peridot is the extreme gem, found in the rocks created by
volcanoes and ven in meteors that fall to earth. A few
samples of extraterrestrial peridot have even been faced to
gems. Today peridot is mined by Native Americans on the San
Carlos Reservation in Arizona.
History and Lore
Peridot
was mined in ancient Egypt on an island called Zeber get.
The island was infested with serpents, making peridot mining
a very dangerous occupation. Finally, one Pharaoh had the
serpents driven into the sea, insuring supplies of the gem.
The Romans
called peridot “evening emerald” since its green colour did
not darken at night but was still visible by lamplight.
Probably
carried back to Europe by the Crusaders, peridot was used to
decorate medieval churches. Two-hundreds carat peridots
adorn the Shrine f the three Magi at the Cologne Cathedral.
Peridot is
said to strengthen the power of any medicine.
Although
Peridot is treasured in Hawaii as the Goddess Pele’s tears,
almost all of the peridot sold in Hawaii today is from
Arizona.
Peridot is
the US birthstone for August.
Quality, Value and availability
Peridot is
the gem form of the mineral olivine. Because the iron that
creates the colour is an integral part of its structure, it
is found only in green to a “7-Up bottle” green.
Generally
the market prefers a clear vivid “spring” green, with less
yellow and no brown overtones.
Small
sizes of Peridot are readily available but large sizes in
fine quality are difficult to find.
The most
popular shape is an oval but other shapes are also quite
available, particularly in small sizes.
Sources
Today most
peridot is mined by Native Americans in the San Carlos
Reservation in Arizona and large quantities are also mined
in China. Fine peridot in large sizes is found in Myanmar
(Burma), an in 1994, an exciting new deposit of fine, large
peridot was discovered in Pakistan, 15000 feet above sea
level in the far west of the Himalayan Mountains in Kashmir.
Routine Enhancements
There is
no routine enhancement of peridot.
Care and Cleaning
Peridot
has a hardness of 6.5 on the Mohs scale, which is harder
than metal but softer than many other gems. Store peridot
jewelry carefully to avoid scratches and protect from blows.
This gem
should also be protected from blows, as exposed corners can
chip.
Clean with
mild dish soap in warm water : use tooth brush to scrub
behind the stone where dust can collect
Peridot
should not be cleaned with ultrasonic cleaners.
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