Occurrence:
St. John's Island, Zebirget
Island, Red Sea (Egypt), Norway, Eifel, Germany, San Carlos (Arizona),
Hawaii, Myanmar (Burma), and Italy.
Appearance:
Olive green to yellowish
green. The darker green is known as peridot, the yellower type chrysolite.
Peridot and sardonyx are the birthstones of the month of August.
Something
Extra:
Peridot's name is derived
from the Greek peridona, meaning to provide plentifully. The ancients
referred to it as the
"gem of the sun" and believed that it could banish evil spirits and break
enchantments when it
was worn in a Gold setting. Peridot is considered a stone of hope. It is
supposed to strengthen
the sight, heart and respiratory system and aid against depression.
The Romans called peridot
"evening emerald," since its green color did not darken at night but was
still visible by lamplight.
Peridot later was also often used to decorate medieval churches, probably
carried back to Europe
by the Crusaders. Large peridots, more than 200 carats in size, adorn the
shrine of the three magi
at the Cologne Cathedral.
Peridot had the power
to drive away evil spirits and the power was considered to be even more
intense when the stone
was set in gold. Peridot was also said to strengthen the power of any
medicine drunk from goblets
carved from the gemstone.
Peridot has great historical
and religious significance. Peridot from Egypt found its way either by
loot or trade to the cathedral treasures of Europe during the Crusades.
At that time, these Green Gems were called Emeralds. The most notable are
in the treasury of the Three Magi in the great cathedral at Cologne, West
Germany.