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Peridot Crystal Meaning

Peridot is August's birthstone. It is a rich green to yellow-green crystal found as small crystal grains in zenoliths of basaltic lava. It only comes in green colors which occur from traces of Chromium or Nickel. It is bright yellow-green when low in iron and darker brownish-green when high in iron. 

Peridot is a gemstone form of Olivine. It has a Mohs Scale of Hardness of 6.5 to 7. 

It is estimated that the earth's upper mantle is made up of mainly Olivine, and mostly Peridot. Scientists thus estimate that Olivine is the most common rock on earth. However, above ground, Peridot is limited. Peridot is even found in space. Stony meteorite Pallasites contain Peridot in solid nickel-iron. 

The word peridotite comes from the gemstone peridot, which consists of pale green olivine. Classic peridotite is bright green with some specks of black, although most hand samples tend to be darker green.
Peridot and Olivine are essentially the same mineral, with the word Peridot only being applied to gem quality specimens. Non-gem quality Olivine is actually relatively common in the Earth's crust, but the magical golden glowing green with sufficient clarity and sparkle to be set into jewellery is much, much rarer.

The black sands of Hawaii are mixed with tiny grains of green Peridot. 

It used to be called Topazos because it looks like yellow Topaz. Another name is Chrysolite which translates to gold stone. 

Peridot is the national gemstone of Egypt where it has been mined for the last 3,500 years and may have been mistaken for Emerald. Therefore, some of Cleopatra's emeralds could have been Peridot. 

In the United States, Arizona has the largest supply of Peridot. Tribal members in San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation mine the gemstone by hand. The green gemstones are found in opened pockets among solid rock. 

How to Tell If A Peridot Stone Is Real?
The best way of telling whether your stone is real or not is by holding it up against the light. If it causes double refraction, it is real. However, if refracts a single beam of light, what you're holding is probably glass or cheaper imitation of the gem.