Peridot
Olivine Group
Color: yellow-green, olive-green, brownish-green
Moh's hardness: 6.5 -7
Peridot is an ancient gemstone that has been mined for over 3500 years. It can be found in Egyptian jewelry from the early second millennium BC. The ancient Romans were also very fond of the gemstone and gave it the name "Evening Emerald". In the Baroque era the deep green gemstone experienced a short flourishing.
In the mid 1990s a sensationally rich peridot deposit was found in the Kashmir region of Pakistan. These stones were of finer quality than ever seen before, and the deposit proved so abundant that the high demand for the gem can be met.
The gemstone is actually known under three names: peridot, chrysolith (derived from the Greek word "goldstone") and olivin (peridot is the gemstone variety of the olivin mineral). In the gemstone trade it is generally referred to as peridot, a name derived from the Greek "peridona", meaning something like "giving plenty". The most beautiful peridots come from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. Peridot is also mined in Myanmar (Burma), China, the USA, Brazil, Tanzania, South Africa and Australia.
Peridot is one of the few gemstones, which exist only in one color. Fine traces of iron account for the deep green color with the slight golden hue. The color can come in any variation from yellow-green and olive to brownish green. Peritot is not particularly hard (only 6.5 to 7 on the Moh's scale) but it is easy to look after and fairly robust.