PERIDOT ESTATE JEWELRY AND VINTAGE JEWELRY
VALUE
The greener peridot stone is considered higher quality. Olive to lime green color is thought to be the most important color. The green color is caused by iron, the color saturation increases as the iron content increases. Excessive iron yields a brownish tint. Most peridot is about 90 per cent forsterite and the remainder fayalite. Peridot has reasonably good properties, it is moderately durable, transparent and brilliant.
BIRTHSTONE AND ANNIVERSARY
Peridot is the birthstone for August and is the suggested gift stone for the 16th wedding anniversary.
ORIGIN OF NAME
The first use of the term peridot is uncertain. French jewelers were the first to use the term, long before 1740. Yellow-green peridot is often called, chrysolite, derived from the Greek words "gold" and "stone."
AREAS FOUND
Peridot is found in Egypt, Pakistan, China, Brazil, Kenya, Norway and Myanmar.
HISTORY
Peridot has been known to be mined for at least 3500 years.
Historically, many stones were thought to be emeralds, but were in fact peridot. Egyptians made peridot beads around 1500 to 1300 BC. Cleopatra's emeralds were most likely peridot. Peridot was confused with topaz in ancient times. In the 3rd and 4th centuries, Greeks and Romans used the stones for intaglios, rings, inlays and pendants. Peridot was highly prized during the Ottomans. At the Topkapi Museum, in Istanbul, the gold throne is decorated with 955 peridot cabochons.
LEGENDS
Peridot was often considered a symbol of the sun up to and through the middle ages. Ancient legends suggest that you will be protected from evil spirits if you wore peridot. A thirteenth-century manuscript states that if a torchbearer is engraved on peridot, that it will bring wealth to the owner.
FORMATION
Forsterite is common in baslats and in peridotite rock. In Egypt the peridotie verges on being a pegmatite. The major source for peridot is the San Carlos Indian Reservation in Arizona. The finer quality of peridot is from the Mogok region in Myanmar.
ESTATE JEWELRY PERIODS POPULAR FOR PERIDOT
Peridot was used to embellish late Victorian and Edwardian Jewelry. Peridot is also found in contemporary estate jewelry.
ESTATE JEWELRY CARE INSTRUCTIONS
Exposure to cleansing agents, even mild soaps, can cause the sealants to fail leaving the stone with a matt or dull finish. Estate peridot rings should always be removed prior to washing one's hands, cleaning house or swimming. Ultrasonic cleaners, steamers and acids are risky and should not be used. Peridot is a natural stone and is not normally treated. Peridot may on occasion be treated to fill cracks. Acid will harm peridot, even perspiration of some people may cause harm to the stone.
TECHNICAL DATA
Crystal system: orthorhombic
Cleavage: indistinct
Refractive Index 1.64 - 1.69
Double Refracting, biaxial + or -
Specific Gravity: 3.27 - 3.45
With a hardness of 6.5 to 7, on the Mohs' Scale. Strong, rapid or uneven heat may cause peridot to crack or break.
