Peridot: Further More

Peridot is the best known gem variety of olivine, a species name for a series of magnesium-iron rich silicate minerals. This bright yellow-green to green gemstone has caught the fancy of humans for thousands of years. Some historians even suspect that at least some of the "emeralds" worn by Cleopatra were actually peridot. Much of its recent popularity can be explained by its currently being recognized as the birthstone for the month of August, people wear the stone because it is supposed to bring the wearer success, peace, and good luck. The peridot occurs as individual grains and aggregates of grains in a basalt which is about 3 to 35 meters thick that forms the top and sides of Peridot Mesa.On the Reservation, peridot can be mined only by individual Native Americans or by individual families of Native Americans from the San Carlos Reservation. In the past, the miners have not marketed the peridot directly to the gemstone industry. They marketed the material in random size lots, from as small as a coffee can full to as much as a 55-gallon barrel full, to local brokers or mineral dealers. The vivid green of the peridot, with just a slight hint of gold, is just the color of peridot. It is the birthstone of August and Leo the Lion.The peridot is a very old gemstone, and one which has become very popular again today. It is so ancient that it can be found in Egyptian jewelery from the early 2nd millennium B.C.. The stones used at that time came from a deposit on a small volcanic island in the Red Sea, some 45 miles off the Egyptian coast at Aswan, which was not rediscovered until about 1900. Did you know that the other word for peridot is chrysolite means in greek golden stone even though it is not golden? The hardness level of a piece of peridot would be 6.5 or 7 on Moh's hardness scale. Well, that's it so if you want to know more check out one of the peridot articles of google.