Peridot
Peridot is the gem-quality form of olivine, a common rock-forming mineral — most peridot actually originates deep in the Earth’s mantle and is carried to the surface by volcanic activity, which is part of why it’s one of the few gems also found in meteorites. Chemically it’s a magnesium-iron silicate, and it’s the iron content specifically that gives peridot its color: unlike gems such as ruby or emerald, where trace impurities in an otherwise colorless host mineral produce the hue, peridot’s green is built into the mineral’s essential chemistry. That’s also why the color range is narrow and consistent — yellow-green through olive to a deeper bottle-green — rather than spanning multiple hues the way corundum or beryl do.
An older name worth knowing: peridot was widely called chrysolite from roughly the 15th through the early 20th century, and the two names refer to the same material, not different stones. Modern gemological and trade usage has settled almost entirely on peridot, but chrysolite still turns up in older jewelry descriptions, historical birthstone tables, and antique gem literature, and readers encountering it there shouldn’t assume it’s an exotic separate gem.
At Mohs 6.5 to 7, peridot is reasonably durable for everyday wear, though it sits just below quartz and can be scratched by harder stones or abrasive contact, and its cleavage means a sharp knock can chip it — care warranted for rings especially. Myanmar, Pakistan, Egypt (notably the ancient Zabargad Island deposits), China, and the United States (particularly Arizona) all produce gem peridot.
On birthstone lists, peridot is squarely an August stone in the modern era: it’s listed on the US 1912, UK 2013, and current US lists, the last of which also adds spinel to the same month, giving August three official current-list stones. The older historical August entry, by contrast, uses an entirely different set — sardonyx, carnelian, moonstone, and topaz — with no peridot at all, another reminder that “August’s birthstone” depends heavily on which list is being consulted. Peridot also appears as Leo’s stone on the modern jewelry-trade zodiac list; the older tropical zodiac instead gives Leo onyx, following the historical July entry rather than August.
Gemmological properties
| Mohs hardness | 6.5–7 |
|---|---|
| Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
| Chemical formula | (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 |
| Refractive index | 1.654–1.69 |
| Color family | Green |
| Variety of | olivine |
| Also known as | chrysolite |
| Origins | Myanmar, Pakistan, United States, Egypt, China |
| Organic material | No |
Peridot is the gem-quality variety of the mineral olivine; "chrysolite" is an older name for the same material, not a distinct species.
Where Peridot appears as a birthstone
By month
By zodiac sign
| Sign | System | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Leo | Modern jewellery-trade zodiac | high |
Frequently asked questions
- Is peridot the same thing as chrysolite?
- Yes. Chrysolite is an older, largely retired name for gem-quality olivine — the same material now called peridot. It isn't a separate species; it's a naming shift, which is why some 19th- and early-20th-century sources list 'chrysolite' where a modern source would say peridot.
- Why is peridot always green, never another color?
- Peridot's color comes from iron built into its crystal structure, not trace impurities the way most colored gems get their hue. Because iron is intrinsic to the mineral olivine itself, peridot occurs in a fairly narrow range of yellow-green to olive-green — there's no colorless, red, or blue peridot the way there's colorless or blue sapphire.
- Where does peridot fall on birthstone lists?
- It's an August stone on the US 1912, UK 2013, and current US lists — the current list adds spinel to the same month — though the older historical August list uses different stones entirely (sardonyx, carnelian, moonstone, topaz). Peridot is also Leo's stone on the modern jewelry-trade zodiac list.