Some peridot fell from the sky. Pallasite meteorites, leftovers from the birth of the solar system, are studded with olive-green peridot crystals, and a few have even been cut into gems. Most peridot on earth arrived from the other direction, carried up from deep inside the planet.
The peridot meaning is light, warmth and a fresh start: a bright green stone for letting go of old weight and welcoming good things in. And there's a simple reason every peridot you'll ever see is green.
Peridot quick facts
- Chakra: Heart, solar plexus
- Zodiac: Leo
- Element: Fire
- Planet: The Sun
- Birthstone: August
- Color: Yellow-green to olive green, always green
- Hardness: 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale
- Commonly from: Arizona (United States), Pakistan, Myanmar, China
- Pairs with: citrine, green aventurine, moonstone
The gem of the sun
Ancient Egyptians called peridot the gem of the sun, and its bright, sunlit green still shapes what it means.
Warmth. Its glowing yellow-green is linked to a sunny outlook and to warmth between people.
Renewal. Peridot is a stone of fresh starts, for clearing out old habits, old grudges or a heavy season and making room for something new.
Protection. In old belief, peridot set in gold guarded against the terrors of the night, and some wore it strung on donkey hair tied around the left arm to keep evil spirits away.
It was mistaken for emerald for centuries: the great green gems on the Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral, long admired as emeralds, are peridot, and some historians think even Cleopatra's emeralds may have been. Its glow under lamplight earned it the old nickname evening emerald. Its name likely comes from the Arabic faridat, gem. Egyptians mined it on Zabargad, a small Red Sea island once called Topazios, and legend says a pharaoh first had to drive the island's snakes into the sea before mining could begin.
Heart and solar plexus, for Leo
Peridot sits between two chakras: its green belongs to the heart, the center of love and openness, and its golden glow to the solar plexus, the center of confidence. Its sign is Leo, the sign ruled by the Sun, a natural match for the gem of the sun, and its element is fire. As the August birthstone, it also belongs to the last weeks of Leo season.
Birthdays, fresh starts and gray days
- A birthday gift for anyone born in August
- A fresh-start stone after a breakup, a move or a hard year
- A warm piece for gray winter days
- A reminder to let go of resentment and move on lighter
- A stone for confidence when stepping into something new
Bracelets, earrings and a green moon
Wear it. The stretchy peridot bracelet strings small green stones on a one-size band, an easy everyday way to wear a birthstone. The platinum plated peridot tree of life earrings pair it with the tree of life, a symbol of growth and family.
Hang it up. The peridot crystal moon décor is a moon hand-crafted from peridot, a symbol of new beginnings, with chips of red jasper, orange aventurine, citrine, howlite, amethyst and clear quartz dangling below and a woven loop for hanging in a bright window, where its green glows.
A letting-go morning. On a sunny morning, hold your peridot up to the window so the light comes through it. Name one thing you're ready to stop carrying, then wear or hang the stone and leave the thing behind with the morning.
Why peridot is always green
Most gems come in a range of colors, depending on which traces of other elements they happen to hold. Peridot is different. Its green comes from iron that's part of its own basic recipe, not from a stray impurity, so every peridot is some shade of green, from bright lime to deep olive. A little more iron makes it darker and browner, and a little less makes it brighter and more yellow. That's also why you'll never see a pink, blue or purple peridot, only greener or more golden ones.
Peridot with citrine, green aventurine and moonstone
Citrine shares peridot's golden glow and its solar plexus, a bright pair for confidence. Read more in our citrine guide. Green aventurine adds luck to peridot's fresh start, as our green aventurine guide explains. Moonstone, the stone of new beginnings, is June's birthstone, so the two make a June and August pair for a summer-birthday gift. Our moonstone guide covers it.
More heart stones are in our heart chakra crystals.
Caring for peridot
Peridot is 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, fine for everyday wear, though a sharp knock can chip it. Wash it in warm, soapy water and dry it with a soft cloth. Avoid acids and harsh cleaners, and keep it away from sudden temperature changes, which can crack it. Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are best skipped.
A bright windowsill suits peridot well, and it's a favorite stone to cleanse in sunlight, fitting for the gem of the sun. Quick care facts for every stone we carry are in our crystal care chart. Every crystal in our shop is smudged with sage and charged in the moonlight before it ships.
Peridot FAQ
Is peridot a birthstone?
Yes. Peridot is the birthstone for August, along with spinel and sardonyx.
Can peridot get wet?
Yes. Warm soapy water is the best way to clean it. Just avoid acids and sudden heat.
Is peridot rare?
Everyday peridot is not, which keeps it affordable. The prized stones are a pure grass green without the usual yellow or brown tint.
Is peridot a gemstone?
Yes. Peridot is the gem form of the mineral olivine.
Is peridot expensive?
Not usually. Most peridot is affordable, and only large stones of the purest green command high prices.
Which wrist do you wear a peridot bracelet on?
Many choose the left, to welcome in the fresh start peridot stands for.
Born deep in the earth
Peridot is olivine, a mineral of magnesium, iron and silica. Most of it forms deep in the earth's mantle, and most of what we see was carried up by volcanic eruptions, the rest pushed up with mantle rock as mountains formed. That's why so much peridot is found in old lava fields, like those of the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, one of the world's main sources.
Olivine is one of the most common minerals in the earth's upper mantle, but gem-quality crystals are much less common. On Hawaii's Papakōlea Beach, grains of olivine weathered out of volcanic rock tint the sand green.
Each piece we sell is one of a kind, and the one pictured is the one you'll receive.