What it is confused with
Green glass and green tourmaline. Peridot's strong double refraction makes the back facets look doubled through a loupe.
Yellow-green to olive
Peridot birthstone
Peridot, the birthstone for August, is magnesium iron silicate ((Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄) — gem-quality olivine, yellow-green to olive, rated 6.5–7 on the Mohs scale. Traditionally, it is linked to lightness, release of resentment and fresh perspective — attributed, not demonstrated.
- Mohs hardness
- 6.5–7 scratches window glass
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic (Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄
- Pliny, AD 77
- Book 37.32 as “topazos”
- Main sources today
- Pakistan also Myanmar, USA (Arizona)
Pliny, Natural History, tr. Bostock and Riley.
18 pages · printable
The 2027 Sky Calendar — free PDF
Every retrograde, eclipse, new and full moon of 2027 to the minute, already converted to your city. A month to a page, ready to print.
Properties
Composition
Magnesium iron silicate ((Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄) — gem-quality olivine
Hardness (Mohs)
6.5–7
Crystal system
Orthorhombic
Color
Yellow-green to olive
Mined in
Pakistan, Myanmar, USA (Arizona), China, Egypt
Worth knowing
Peridot arrives on Earth in meteorites — pallasite meteorites carry gem-quality crystals formed beyond this planet.
History
Mined on the Egyptian island of Zabargad for over 3500 years.
Buying
Buying Peridot: fakes, value and treatments
What decides the price
A pure grass or lime green without brown is preferred, and large clean stones from Pakistan and Myanmar command the most. Peridot is rarely treated.
Where it is used
Mostly jewelry; the mineral itself, olivine, is a main component of Earth's upper mantle.
A less familiar fact
Olivine occurs in pallasite meteorites, so some peridot is literally extraterrestrial.
Practical
Caring for Peridot
How to clean it
Soapy water only. Sensitive to acid and rapid temperature change, so no steam and no ultrasonic.
How to tell it is real
Green glass is the common fake. Peridot has unusually strong double refraction — look through it at a straight line and the line appears doubled.
How hard is Peridot?
Peridot sits just under quartz, so in a ring worn daily its facet edges slowly soften. It is also sensitive to acid and to sudden changes of temperature, which rules out steam cleaning.
Peridot, at 6.5–7, is harder than 19 of the other 42 stones here and softer than 15, with 8 level with it.
Primary source
What Pliny the Elder wrote about Peridot
“Topazos is a stone that is still held in very high estimation for its green tints: indeed, when it was first discovered, it was preferred to every other kind of precious stone.”
“Juba says that there is an island in the Red Sea called “Topazos,” at a distance of three hundred stadia from the main land; that it is surrounded by fogs, and is often sought by navigators in consequence; and that, owing to this, it received its present name, the word “topazin” meaning “to seek,” in the language of the Troglodytæ.”
Pliny the Elder, The Natural History, translated by John Bostock and H. T. Riley (London: H. G. Bohn, 1855–57), book 37, chapter 32 — read the original text.
Pliny’s green topazos is now identified with peridot. His island of Topazos is Zabargad in the Red Sea, the first known source of peridot; the name topaz later passed to a different, usually yellow, mineral. Who Pliny was and why we quote him →
Traditional associations
Peridot is traditionally linked to lightness, release of resentment and fresh perspective. Chakra in crystal practice: Heart, Solar Plexus. Element: Earth.
Questions about Peridot
What is Peridot made of?
Magnesium iron silicate ((Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄) — gem-quality olivine, crystallizing in the orthorhombic system.
Which month is Peridot the birthstone for?
August.
Where does Peridot come from?
Pakistan, Myanmar, USA (Arizona), China, Egypt.
Can Peridot be worn every day?
With care. At 6.5–7 on the Mohs scale it can be worn often, but watch out for acid and sudden changes of temperature.
Sources
Statements of fact on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. How we choose and check sources: editorial policy.
Cite this page
AstroHot. “Peridot Birthstone: The August Stone and Its Meaning.” Accessed October 28, 2026. https://astrohot.com/crystals/gemstones/peridot/
For Wikipedia
{{cite web |title=Peridot Birthstone: The August Stone and Its Meaning |url=https://astrohot.com/crystals/gemstones/peridot/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-28}}