Peridot Information and Peridot Jewelry Information
Jewelry is very important to augment your beauty and bring out the elegance and class in you. Peridot is the birthstone for the month of August and is utilized widely as a valuable jewelry item. Besides, it is also regarded as an anniversary stone and is used by couples to celebrate their sixteen years of marriage. In mineralogical terms Peridot is better known as Olivine, due to its olive-green coloring, and is widely sought after by millions of people.
Peridots are widely found in Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Myanmar and South Africa, while in the U.S, the state of Arizona is the major source of this beautiful gemstone. Peridots come in different hues of green, from pale yellowish green, olive green and bottle green to a vibrant apple green, and each one of these colors are hugely popular amongst females for their brightness and beauty.
Technical Specifications:
Here are some technical specifications of Peridot
Category: Mineral
Chemical formula: (Mg, Fe)2SiO4
Color: Yellow, to yellow-green, olive-green, to brownish
Crystal system: Orthorhombic
Cleavage:: Poor
Fracture: Conchoidal
Mohs scale hardness: 6.5-7
Luster: Vitreous (glassy)
Streak: White
Specific gravity: 3.2-4.3
Refractive index: 1.64-1.70
Birefringence: +0.036
Peridot Mining
In the olden days, Peridot was mined from the volcanic island of St. John in Egypt, but later people totally forgot about this gemstone only to rediscover it again in the 1900s. It is believed that Peridot was a favorite amongst Egyptian women and even Cleopatra wore and favored these gems. During the middle ages, Peridot was brought to central Europe by the Crusaders but with time it faded out from people's memory only to revive in the 1990s.
Peridot jewelry can be of various kinds. Women all over the world wear rings made out of this gemstone and they are also worn in the form of bracelets and earrings and necklaces. Nowadays such gems are also used in making engagement rings and have started to gain popularity amongst women.
When planning to buy Peridots be prepared to checkout their authenticity. Make sure that what you are buying is the real deal and genuine, natural stone. Synthetic or lab created stones can also look similar to the original and come at extremely cheap prices but they don't have any real value so you should never opt for synthetic stones. Get your jewelry from a reputable store or dealer who has a certificate of authenticity because that way you wouldn't be duped out of your money.
While looking for Peridots make sure that they have a rich color because faded stones aren't really of any value. Always look for clean, clear stones that are without any cracks because minor cracks can turn worse with time and may even break up, so you must at all times try and avoid such stones.
Lastly, Peridot has a hardness of 6.5 to 7 on the Moh scale so any sharp blow might split and break it easily. You must be careful with this gemstone and take extra care while handling it. Generally while planning to buy such stones for your jewelry you must opt for multi-faceted and mixed cut stones as they obtain the best color for the stone and also protect against any unseen damage. You must also be careful to prevent any sort of cleaning of Peridot with chemicals as it is reactive to chemicals and may lose its charm.
Feedback | Links | Disclaimer | Privacy | Terms
Top of All About Peridot
Copyright (c) 2006, 2007,2008, 2009, 2010, 2011. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Technical Author Services Pty Ltd.
Webmaster: Technical Author Services Pty Ltd.
