Peridot
LE PÉRIDOT
Nicknamed the "golden stone" or "gem of the sun" by the ancient Egyptians because of its golden reflections, peridot is one of the few stones to come in a single dominant color: green. Ranging from pure green to lime-green or olive-green, it can be tinted to varying degrees of yellow or brown.
Peridot, gem of the sun
Long mistaken for topaz or emerald, peridot is now rightly appreciated as an affordable, untreated green gem. Philippe Tournaire The jeweler loves to incorporate it into her original jewelry creations, peridot's green being so naturally sparkling!
Gold gem identity card: Peridot
Attributed to the month of August, peridot is a silicate composed of iron and magnesium. Its hardness ranges from 6.5 to 7, similar to quartz. It forms in basalts, volcanic rocks rich in iron and magnesium. Its crystalline structure resembles prisms with vertical striations.
This gem has an optical peculiarity: to the naked eye, one can often distinguish a doubling of the edges of the inner facets, especially in large-caliber stones. This signe characteristic is a real means of identifying peridot,
just as it is with zircon or calcite, stones that allow the same phenomenon to be observed, due to the way the light ray penetrates their crystal.
Peridot is often devoid of inclusions, or else shows very distinctive features once again: water lily-shaped inclusions, more present in commercial rather than jewellery-quality peridots. Also, many high-quality peridots feature tiny chromite crystals forming small black dots, invisible to the naked eye and in no way overshadowing the gem's beauty.
The color of the golden stone: Peridot
Its green is recognizable among the others: emerald is green "garden" greentsavorite is sometimes slightly tinged with blue or yellow, while peridot is more akin to a"prairie green", with either golden or slightly brown hues, or quite simply, a pure light but vivid green devoid of any hue. The more iron peridot contains, the more intense its golden-green color. This gemstone is also known as"chrysolite", a term formerly used to designate stones of a similar color, oras "olivine"because of its tendency to be olive-green, sometimes with an oily appearance. Whatever the case, the color of peridot is fascinating, with its golden reflections and ability to dazzle... This gem blends perfectly with tourmaline, sapphire, rubyand diamond, in the harmonies of color that Philippe Tournaire through her jewelry creations.
Legends and origins of the sun gem
The sun gemsuffered the same fate as spinel: for decades, these two stones remained in the shadows! Just as Timur's 361-carat "ruby" was actually spinel, the 200 carats of peridots adorning the sumptuous tomb of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral were mistaken for emeralds for centuries...
Like amethyst, this gem has been associated with the Christian religion for decades, and is mentioned in sacred manuscripts due to the beliefs it has inspired. Many representatives of the church have considered it a symbol of purity and morality.
In ancient times, its radiant green color was compared to the renewal of Mother Nature in springtime. Peridot is therefore steeped in history, and as a gem of the sun, it richly deserves to be highlighted! Etymologically, the term "peridot" comes from the Arabic "faridat", meaning precious stone. Ancient Egypt, the cradle of peridot, gave it the title of "gem of the sun", due to the sparkling reflections that emanated from the stone under the desert sun.
Historically speaking, the volcanic island of Zebirget, located in the Red Sea to the east of Aswan, has been the most important deposit of peridot for the last three thousand five hundred years. These mines have now been abandoned.
The main sources of peridots are now Myanmar and Pakistan, renowned for supplying gems of remarkable quality. Arizona is next. In fact, it's on the San Carlos reservation in Arizona that the Apaches - North American Indian tribes - mine a considerable quantity of peridots. They are also found in Vietnam, Mexico, Australia, Ethiopia and Norway... Native to various parts of the world, first usurped of its identity, then recognized for its true worth, peridot has its place among the finest jewelry creations. Surrounded by diamonds in a Marguerite pendant, the central stone of an Ionic necklace or sublimated in a ring Villeroy... So many jewelry creations signed Tournaire, which give full meaning to the appellation "gem of the sun "!
The guarantee of uncompromising craftsmanship
OUR TITLES AND LABELS
