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Olivine can be found in everything from marble to meteors, but for people who like fine jewelry, the mineral is most appreciated because it’s the source of peridot. The green gemstone was first brought to Europe in the Middle Ages from Egypt,...
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Olivine can be found in everything from marble to meteors, but for people who like fine jewelry, the mineral is most appreciated because it’s the source of peridot. The green gemstone was first brought to Europe in the Middle Ages from Egypt, where it has been mined on an island in the Red Sea for more than 3,500 years. Today, Egypt remains a good source of peridot—a 312-carat example from that Egyptian island can be seen in the Smithsonian’s mineral collection—but many consider the best stones to be those from Myanmar and Pakistan. Peridot gets its range of olive-green hues from iron; the mineral also has magnesium in its composition. It is listed as 6.5 on the Mohs scale, which means it is harder than most opals and moonstones but relatively soft compared to aquamarine, topaz, alexandrite, and rubies. Because it fractures easily, jewelers often give peridot a step cut or simply polish it into the rounded shape of a cabochon. In addition, peridot is not tough enough to withstand scratches, so while it may be less expensive than other gemstones, it must be handled with care. As a green gemstone, peridots have historically been mistaken for emeralds. In many cases, peridots were almost certainly passed off as emeralds by unscrupulous gem dealers, but just as often, travelers bearing gifts from far-off lands probably presented their recipients with “emeralds” when they had paid for peridots, no doubt as a way to make their largesse appear more generous. Unlike citrine, which chiefly benefits from gold settings, peridots also pair well with silver and platinum, either as a delicate pendant hung from a chain or as a ring whose green centerpiece is surrounded by diamonds. The most expensive specimens are generally larger—owing to the time it takes to successfully facet peridot—and dark green. Peridot bearing a yellowish-green hue is also lovely, but relatively common. One of three birthstones for the month of August—sardonyx and spinel are the...
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All About Jewels Dictionary
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All About Jewels Dictionary
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