Peridot is one of the few gemstones that only occur in one color, an olive green. The amount of iron in the crystal structure will determine the intensity of the color. Dar olive-green is the most valued color. Peridot is gem-quality olivine, a silicate miniral of which peridot is the magnesium-rich variety. And while olivine mineral is abundant, gem-quality peridot is quite rare.
One story of humankind’s first discovery of peridot states that sailors landed on a small island on the Red Sea and saw green glittery crystals glowing in the volcanic earth. The Egyptian royalty in Thebes fell in love with the gem. Queen Bernice of Lower Egypt was presented with the first specimen in 300 BCE and it is suspected that Cleopatra wore peridots, as well. The Egyptians considered peridot to be a symbol of the sun. Soon after the ancient Jews were using this stone and it appeared on the Breastplate of Aaron, a ceremonial religious garment that was set with 12 gemstones to symbolize the tribes of Israel, in which peridot symbolized the tribe of Shimon. Ancient Romans were also quite fond of the gemstone for its’ green sparkle and called it “evening emerald.”
Rarely, gemstones that are confused with peridot were produced from meteorites and meteors that contained some crystals of Olivine and had similar olive green color. Moldavite is found in the Czech Republic and believed to have arrived from space in a meteor about 14.8 million years ago. Peridot is the only gemstone found in metiorites. But most actual peridot was produced right here on Earth, or rather deep inside the earth, and brought to the surface by volcanoes. The United States was, for a many years, the largest producer. The gem is mined in North Carolina, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada and New Mexico. In the past two decades, China has become the largest producer of commercial-grade peridot and is able to offer the stone at an excellent price point.