Looking to gift your loved one with a good-looking green
stone, but your budget cannot fit an
emerald? Why not buy a peridot and
diamond ring instead? Both are green, although noticeably different in shade. Still, they resemble each other enough to have made the ancient Greeks call peridot ‘Evening
Emerald’. In fact, the
emerald stones Cleopatra possessed were probably actually peridots.
Formation and Occurrence
Peridot is one of the types of olivine, which is actually a silicate found in Pallasite meteorites.
Emerald, on the other hand is one among the many varieties of beryl.
Color and Origin
Emerald generally exudes a deep green
color that most people recognize from TV and magazines, while peridots have a characteristic olive green hue, which carries lighter tones.
Emeralds of the best quality come from Zambia and Columbia, while high-grade peridot is mined in USA, Egypt, and Myanmar.
Hardness
Gemstone durability is decided based on how much a substance rates on the Mohs’ scale. Peridot is more fragile than
emerald with a 6.5 to 7 rating, where the latter lands between 7.5 and 8. Both can be studded onto
rings, but unlike jewelry
diamonds, require proper care if you want them to last long and look good.