Cleopatra was as famous for emeralds as Princess Diana is for sapphires. However her emeralds are believed to be peridot! Peridot was mined off of the coast of Zabargad, thirty five miles from Egypt during Cleopatra’s reign. Peridot is the birthstone for August and the sixteenth wedding anniversary. For centuries, people believed the fabulous 200-ct. gems adorning the shrine of the Three Holy Kings in Germany’s Cologne Cathedral were emeralds. They are, in fact, peridots. From the earliest times, people confused this stone—now known to be peridot—with other gems. It was one of many labeled as “topaz.”
Peridot 67.5 cut and 7.9 cm tall Peridot-Supat, Kohistan, Pakistan-Photo courtesy of GIA
Peridot has a hardness of 6.5 on the Mohs scale. The olivine colored gemstone was praised as the evening emerald because it did not darken at night, but remained bright under all lighting conditions. The Peridot has always been associated with light. The Egyptians called it the gem of the sun. Some believed that it protected it’s owner from terrors of the night especially if it was set in gold. The peridot was also strung the on donkey’s hair and tied around the left arm to ward off evil spirits. The Peridot is believed to bring peace luck and success.
Peridot is mentioned in the Bible under the Hebrew name of "pitdah". Peridot gems along with other gems were probably used in the fabled Breastplates of the Jewish High Priests, artifacts that have never been found. Crusaders brought peridot to Central Europe where it is found in many medieval churches such as the Cologne Cathedral. In the Baroque era the deep green gemstone experienced another short flourishing, before it became forgotten again.
Napoleon used peridot to assure the empress Josephine of his undying love and admiration, which, of course, happened before he had their marriage annulled. Throughout time, peridot has been confused with many other gemstones, even emerald. Many "emeralds" of royal treasures have turned out to be peridots.
Featured below is a stunning peridot set in 18K gold by Erica Courtney.
Erica Courtney Peridot Ring
The word peridot comes from the Arabic word, “faridat,” which means gem. Most peridot formed deep inside the earth and were delivered to the surface by volcanoes. Some also came to the earth in meteorites.
As with many gems, part of its value is based on clarity. A peridot of two to three carats is quite expensive, and an eight carat stone is extremely rare. One of the most beautiful and expensive peridots in the world is located in the Natural Museum of History in London, England. It weighs 146 carats!
146.10 carat Peridot is in the collection of the Natural Museum of History in London. Photo courtesy of GIA.
At McCaskill and Company, we have several of our designers that feature Peridot in their jewelry. Erica Courtney, Alex Sepkus, David Yurman, JFA, Oscar Heyman and Jude Frances have all designed beautiful Peridot jewelry. We would love to have you visit our store to see them. We are located at 13390 Highway 98 West, Destin, Florida 32550.
