Peridot (“pair-a-doe”) is the
August birthstone.This lovely green
gemstone is a variety of the mineral olivine.Peridot gets its green color from the presence of iron in the crystal’s
structure.The amount of iron present
determines the intensity of the green color such that the higher the iron
content the darker the green color.Interestingly, peridot is only found in the color green whereas most
other minerals can be found in more than one color.
Although olivine is common in igneous and metamorphic rocks, the
gemstone quality version is much more rare.Arizona has one of the more abundant sources of peridot but the quality
is not as high as in other regions, such as Egypt, Myanmar, Burma and Pakistan,
which have smaller amounts of the gemstone.The Smithsonion Institution has a gemstone from Egypt that is over 310
carats, which is largest peridot ever found.
Peridot (“pair-a-doe”) is the
August birthstone. This lovely green
gemstone is a variety of the mineral olivine. Peridot gets its green color from the presence of iron in the crystal’s
structure. The amount of iron present
determines the intensity of the green color such that the higher the iron
content the darker the green color. Interestingly, peridot is only found in the color green whereas most
other minerals can be found in more than one color.