Peridot

Peridot, the August birthstone, was known to the ancient world as "topazos" although the gemstone we know today as "topaz" is a completely different material! This gemstone has nonetheless been prized for centuries because of its rich green color.

Peridot, the gem form of the mineral olivine, occurs in many parts of the world, most notably Burma, Arizona, Mexico and St. John's Island (in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt - the famous locality of the ancient world). Cuttable material from all these localities tends to be small, yielding cut gemstones weighing less than 5 carats. Only Burma and Egypt produce very large stones over 50 carats. The Egyptian source is no longer in operation, leaving Burma as the only locality for larger stones (which, from a practical viewpoint, means anything over 10 carats).

Most people never see large peridots. The stones in jewelry stores, sold for birthstone rings, etc., are very small (1-3 carats) and therefore tend to be pale in color and not very striking. This is a shame, since large peridots are richly hued, intense in color and very brilliant. Truly flawless stones are among the rarest of all gems, far less available than even the finest white diamonds. Lack of demand has created a situation where fine, large peridots are extremely undervalued considering their status as a birthstone and their great rarity.