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Peridot is the high-quality variety of the mineral olivine and is quite popular in jewellery. It is one of the few minerals found in a single color - dark green that resembles the color of green olives. Peridot usually has yellow tones, while rarely its color is pure green without secondary hues (yellow or brown). The exact color of the mineral and its intensity is affected by its iron content.
Although the mineral olivine is fairly common, peridot - the gem-quality version is quite rare.
For centuries, Egypt and its mine on St John's Island on the Red Sea was the main producer of peridot. That's why the particular mineral was very popular in Egypt, and it is now certain that Cleopatra's famous collection of emeralds actually consisted of perch. Although the Red Sea mine has ceased to operate since the mid-1950s, peridot is still considered to be the national gem of Egypt.
In the last few years, a number of peridot mines have been discovered in several countries, such as the USA, Norway, Brazil, China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and elsewhere, with the quality of the mineral varying by region. At the Afghanistan - Pakistan border there are peridot mines, where high-quality even large size peridot crystals are mined. The mineral from these mines is known as the Kashmir peridot and is very popular in jewellery.
Three Holy Kings Shrine
One of the most famous ancient objects decorated with peridot is the Three Holy Kings Shrine, located in the Cologne Cathedral. It is made of wood, gold, and silver and decorated with enamel and more than 1000 gems, beads, cameos, and crystals. Among them, there is a magnificent 200-carat peridot, which for centuries was considered an emerald.
Gold Festival Throne
Peridot was widespread and popular in the Ottoman Empire. A typical example of a peridot artwork is the throne of Sultan Mourad II, also known as the Gold Festival Throne, located in Istanbul's Topkapi Palace, made of gilded wood and decorated with 957 dark green peridots.
Jewelry set of the House of Habsburg
The jewellery set of the Archduchess of Austria Isabella is a typical example of peridot jewels. It consists of a necklace, earrings, a brooch, and a tiara, where large peridots are surrounded by diamonds. The set was built around 1825 and was owned by the House of Habsburg for more than a century. Since then it has been auctioned three times. In 2012 the earrings and brooch were sold for $170,000.
