PERIDOT

Peridot has enjoyed a recent rise in popularity. Fortunately, this increase in demand has been offset by increased production, especially from the fertile mesa of the San Carlos Apache reservation.

Peridot is a clean stone, the darker the green the better the stone. Some peridot can be very light and almost lime green, and thus is not highly regarded. And while peridot most always has an olive tone -- it's the gem variety of the mineral olivine -- look for stones that aren't overwhelmingly olivey. And as with all faceted gemstones, the cut should produce an even fire -- no large dark patches when you look directly down on the table. You should also ask to observe the stone in both incandescent and fluorescent lighting to get an idea of how the color and fire will change when you wear your jewelry under those lighting sources. Don't expect to find much large material from Arizona, most of the San Carlos production is under 3 carats. Chinese material is large but the color is usually inferior to specimens from Pakistan -- which currently produces the finest large quantities of peridot. Burma still produces incredibly stunning, large (30 carats and up) stones, but these are mainly collector's items as production is unreliable and accessible to a handful of connected gem traders.

Peridot is occasionally treated with colorless oil, wax, natural and synthetic unhardened resins into voids to improve appearance. Surface fractures are sometimes filled with a colorless hardened substance. These treatments should be stable if done properly.
 

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