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What is Peridot

02/05/2018 1762 0 3

WHAT IS  PERIDOT?

Peridot only comes in greens,
from pale yellow green, through
intense bottle green to vibrant
apple green. The best material 
comes from Pakistan near to the
Afghan border. The large fine
deposit of peridot found there
have a beautiful deep colour
and sell for high prices. Peridot
is termed an idiochromatic gemstone.
This means that the colour comes
from the chemical composition of the
stone and not from impurities within which normally provide gemstone colour

STRUCTURE OF PERIDOT

Peridot is generally transparent but can contain a wide array of
inclusions. The most common are "fingerprints" or "lilypads"
made from very small drops of silica glass. Dark brown, black and silk
like type inclusions can also be found. Generally peridot does
not have a great brilliance, and the lustre ranges from vitreous to 
greasy. Occasionaly star and cats eye effects can be found.

  

SOURCES OF PERIDOT

Peridot can be found in Brazil, Australia, Egypt, China, Myanamar, 
Pakistan, South Africa, the USA(Hawaii, and Arizona) and Zaire.

IMITATIONS AND TREATMENTS

Peridot can resemble green zircon, green tourmaline, green apatite
and even green sapphire. It may be oiled or opticoned to
reduce the appearance of flaws. Opticon is a  polymer filler that
is frequently used to enhance emeralds.

PERIDOT PRICING

The high cost of larger , strong coloured stones reflects the difficulty
of finding large "clean" rough material , but also the time it takes to cut
and polish the peridot. Peridot is more readily available in paler colour
which are more reasonably priced.  

PERIDOT CUTS

Peridot is generally faceted as a step cut or mixed cut to obtain the best
cut and reduce the risk of breakage.  It can be dificult to polish and will pick up
scratches easily, so it is importatnt to keep peridot stones set in jewellery clean
in order to look their best.