Peridot is best known for being the bright green August birthstone. This cheerful gemstone has a unique history, including many cases of mistaken identity and a few cases of extraterrestrial journeys. Whether you’re an August-baby or whether you’re simply drawn to the beauty of this lovely green stone, there’s so much to learn and love about peridot whether it’s in a ring, necklace, bracelet, or earrings.
Peridot Pronunciation
First, let’s address an important question: how do you pronounce “peridot”? Is it “pear-eh-doe” or “pear-eh-dot”? The correct answer is… that both are correct! Actually, both pronunciations are found in most dictionaries. The word does have French origins, so most jewelers and gemstone collectors don’t pronounce the “t” (we say “pear-eh-doe”), following the French. But don’t worry, it’s also correct to say “pear-eh-dot,” which is an acceptable American way to say it.
Scientific background
Peridot’s mineral name is olivine. Most peridots form under the earth’s surface, deep in the mantle, and are pushed up when the crust splits through volcanic activity. In rare cases, however, peridot finds its way to earth via meteor! 4.5 billion year old peridot deposits travel in the rocky chunks of meteors to our planet, and these alien gems can be verified with gemological tests to prove their outer-space origins. In fact, the NASA space probe collected peridot in their stardust mission in 2005 (source).
On this planet, peridot mines have been found in Egypt, Myanmar, Arizona, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, and Finland.
Mistaken Identity
Peridot has often been mistaken for other gemstones. The oldest peridot mine in the world is found on Zabargad Island, an Egyptian island in the Red Sea. The island was originally named Topazios, for topaz: oops! Because peridots range in color, it was hard to know what was what in a world before advanced science. Some historians believe that Cleopatra’s famous “emeralds” were deeply colored peridots because of the abundance of peridot deposits in Egypt. 
The Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral in Germany is a reliquary said to contain the bones of the magi who visited baby Jesus in the manger. This beautiful gilt sarcophagus was constructed in the late 12th century and is decorated with amazing figurative artwork and over 1000 gems, some of which were long-believed to be emeralds. Art historians, however, have discovered that these so-called emeralds were actually peridots (image source).
Over the past few centuries, especially since the Enlightenment era encouraged advances in science, jewelers and scholars developed ways to identify and distinguish gemstones based on their scientific properties and chemical makeup. In ancient and medieval times, however, visual appearance was the primary means of determining a stone’s type, leading to many cases of mistaken identity.
You can see how these deep green peridots from the Smithsonian here in Washington, DC, might be mistaken for emeralds or green tourmalines. (image source: geogallery.si.edu)
What to look for when buying a peridot
A peridot’s warm green color is its most attractive feature. While your preference in color is an individual and personal choice, most buyers avoid very pale or very brownish colors, preferring a truer bright green. Brownish olive greens are generally less desirable and more affordable, but these can be absolutely gorgeous on Mediterranian and deep skin tones. Light greens can also be affordable and lovely on fairer complections, especially if you have green, blue-green, or hazel eyes. Many people believe that they don’t like peridots because they are only familiar with the widely available lower-grade colors you’d find in birthstone jewelry for children. With the help of a fine jeweler, however, you might discover a color you love within the gorgeous spectrum of peridot’s green hues.
Clarity is valued in all gemstones, so the stones without any inclusions are most valuable. Sometimes, peridots have small flat inclusions inside that catch the light in a not-so-pretty way, and these are called lily-pads. Larger stones without inclusions are very desirable and priced as such, and it’s easier to find affordable eye-clean examples in smaller sizes.
Treatments for peridot are rare, and heat-treatment is not done on peridots at all. Beware of sellers who make claims like “unheated” or “untreated” to try to tout the rarity (and raise the prices) of their gems; the truth is that all peridots are unheated. Also, educate yourself about the quality factors of the gem that you prefer, and make your choices based on your preferences and knowledge. There is no universal grading system for peridots, so ratings like AAA, AA, A, or B are not regulated and more subjective than the types of grades you’d see on a diamond report.
The fire of this trillion-cut peridot is highlighted by two white diamonds in 18k yellow gold in this Secrete Fine Jewelry signature ring.
Peridot in jewelry
Peridot is an amazingly versatile stone that looks equally good in white and yellow metals. Its bright cheery colors also pair well with other stones, so you can find creative multi-gem pieces that celebrate peridots within a framework of other happy colors. No matter what your style, there’s probably a gorgeous peridot piece for you.
Not only is peridot the August birthstone, it’s also the gemstone for a 16th wedding anniversary. If you’re interested in creating a beautiful custom piece of jewelry to celebrate an August birthday or 16th anniversary, or if you want this beautiful green stone solely because you love the color, Secrete Fine Jewelry is here to help. We can guide you through the custom design process to create an heirloom-quality piece of peridot jewelry that you’ll cherish forever. Contact us today or visit one of our stores.
Secrete Fine Jewelry paired the olive green of peridot with the deep, leaf green of tourmaline in this gorgeous diamond-accented pendant.
